MPs will debate whether Donald Trump should be given a UK state visit

LONDON - MPs are to debate whether Donald Trump should be given a state visit to the UK after more than one and a half million people signed a petition against it.

Parliament will debate whether to 'Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom' at a debate inside Westminster Hall on February 20.

At the time of writing 1,682,051 have signed the petition to prevent Trump's visit. A rival petition calling for the visit to go ahead has so far been signed by 114,507 people. This will also be debated by MPs on February 20.

The debate will not go to a vote but it will add to growing pressure on the prime minister Theresa May to withdraw her invitation to the new US President.

May insisted on Monday that the visit would still go ahead, no matter how many people signed the petition against it. "The petition has been signed by however many people have signed it..." her spokesperson said.

"What we've been very clear on is that we have extended this invitation to the President and it has been accepted and we will proceed with a state visit."

Thousands of people protested in towns and cities across the UK on Monday night against Trump and his ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for 90 days.