Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim travel ban’ could be exploited by ISIS as a ‘propaganda opportunity’, warns Amber Rudd
DONALD TRUMP’s toxic travel ban was branded a potential propaganda coup for IS by the Home Secretary last night.
Amid fresh outrage in Westminster over the US President’s crackdown, Amber Rudd admitted that terrorists could use the ban to “create the environment they want to radicalise people”.
She told MPs: “So it is a propaganda opportunity for them, potentially.”
And she appeared to question the effectiveness of the ban by saying the main terror threat facing Britain wasn’t coming from the seven Muslim countries blacklisted by the White House.
She said the biggest problem was not from countries such as Iran or Syria but from home-grown militants brainwashed by Da’esh.
Blasted by Labour MPs for not doing enough to criticise her counterparts in the US, Mrs Rudd said the travel ban would “never be our policy”.
But she insisted America remained Britain’s “strongest ally” and it was in the Government’s interest to “engage” with the President.
Her comments came as:
*Ministers insisted it was “full steam ahead” for Donald Trump’s official state visit to the UK as early as JUNE despite nationwide protests.
One Government source told the Sun: “There’s no going back on this.”
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*Over 70 Labour and SNP MPs put their name to an early day motion in Parliament calling for Mr Trump to be denied the privilege of addressing both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall.
*Brexit champion Michael Gove said the immigration crackdown was “perplexing and not entirely reassuring”.
*EU Council chief Donald Tusk named Donald Trump alongside aggressive Russia and radical Islam as a threat to the European Union.
*Prince Charles appeared to attack President Trump by warning the rise in nationalism worldwide had “deeply disturbing echoes” of the 1930s.
*And it emerged MPs now will be given the chance to debate the upcoming visit on February 20.
Theresa May on Monday insisted she stood by the invite forwarded to Donald Trump. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had slammed Labour for branding the PM “Theresa the Appeaser”.
Downing Street yesterday reiterated the PM “looks forward to hosting the President”.
And speaking to the powerful Home Affairs Select Committee yesterday Ms Rudd leapt to the defence of the Prime Minister.
She said that regardless of who was in the White House, a state visit was also designed to “honour the country”.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna had challenged her, saying: “What message do you think it gives this country’s three million Muslims when you invite a known Islamophobe and honour him in the way that you are intending to do?”
But Ms Rudd countered: “I think we can hold two things in our head, which is to say to the President of the US ‘we find this policy divisive and wrong’ and still to respect the President of the United State and want to engage with him.”
She added: “I think the important thing is for this Government to state that we disagree with the ban and we have said that it is divisive, it is wrong. I will continue to say that.”
A petition demanding Donald Trump is “prevented” from making a state visit to the UK passed 1.7 million signatures last night.
And MPs stepped up calls for him to be barred from following in the footsteps of the Pope, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama by addressing politicians in Westminster Hall during his trip.
A senior former Tory Minister said it was “out of the question” for such an honour to be granted to a US President causing searing controversy in the UK.
Tory backbencher Sarah Wollaston on Saturday said Parliament’s oldest and most important landmark “should be reserved for leaders who have made an outstanding positive difference in the world”.
Any invitation to speak in Westminster Hall has to be approved by three ‘keyholders’ – including Speaker John Bercow.
The others are Lord Fowler, the House of Lords speaker and Lord Chamberlain, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
A source close to Speaker Bercow told the Sun: “We don’t even have a date, so we cannot even begin to discuss the idea.
“No meeting, no representation, no date so no decision.”
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron insisted he would be snubbing any state dinner thrown in honour of Donald Trump.
He said: “I don’t sit down and eat dinner with a bully.”
The blast was lampooned by Tories who said it may actually bring a visit more likely.
Andrew Bridgen MP told the Sun: “I’m sure the President will be extremely disappointed that the Liberal Democrat leader – an irrelevance he will have never heard of – will no longer attend.
“I assume this means that lentils and tofu will be off the menu.”