MPs will decide tomorrow if the Trump petition will be debated in Parliament

By:

Add as a preferred source on Google

A group of MPs will tomorrow decide if a petition calling for Donald Trump's state visit to be ditched – which gained more than one million signatures – will be debated in Parliament.

Earlier reports suggested the visit by the US President would go ahead despite opposition from politicians and the petition. The government has rejected the calls, according to the BBC, citing unnamed sources within Whitehall as saying it would be a "populist gesture" and uninviting him would "undo everything".

But, the 11 MPs on the petitions committee will discuss the petition on Tuesday afternoon and make a call on whether it should head for a full debate in the House of Commons. The group is made up of four Labour MPs, six Conservatives and one SNP MP. 

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have all called for the invite to be rescinded in light of the President's ban on Muslim's from some countries travelling to the US.

A petition has gained more than one million signatures, past the threshold where the government must respond, and past the number needed for a Parliamentary debate to be considered.

What Sadiq Khan said

“While this is in place we shouldn’t be rolling out the red carpet for President Trump. I don’t think he should be coming on a state visit while the plan is in place. I couldn’t be clearer.”

What Jeremy Corbyn said

"I think it would be totally wrong for him to be coming here while that situation is going on."

What Tim Farron said

"I thought the offer for a state visit was hasty, especially given the things he is coming out with. We should not be giving in so lightly because Theresa May is in a desperate position."

What Nicola Sturgeon said

"For those asking my view on US State visit: would be wrong for it to go ahead while bans on refugees & citizens of some countries in place."