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Theresa May blasts Donald Trump directly saying he shouldn’t have shared Britain First propaganda
THERESA MAY today blasted Donald Trump for retweeting far-right propaganda - saying it was "the wrong thing to do".
The Prime Minister hit back at the US President after he told her to mind her own business in the wake of a row over him sharing Britain First videos.
MPs called the President an "evil racist" and even called for him to be arrested as he clashed with Mrs May.
But Home Secretary Amber Rudd warned them to tone down their rhetoric, reminding the Commons that the special relationship has "undoubtedly saved British lives".
She hinted that MPs' attacks on Mr Trump risked harming US-UK relations and urged them to focus on "the bigger picture".
Responding to criticism from the UK Government, the hot-headed US President wrote last night: "Theresa @theresamay, don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”
Theresa May says that Donald Trump’s state visit is still going ahead even after he retweeted propaganda from Britain First
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There are fresh calls for his state visit to the UK to be cancelled in the wake of his repeated jabs at the country.
The row has led to questions over the planned January visit, with some reports suggesting it could be postponed to later in the year.
Asked about Mr Trump's comments during a trip to Jordan, Mrs May lashed out at the President directly in an unprecedented attack.
The PM said: "Britain First is a hateful organisation. It stands in fundamental opposition to the values we share as a nation - values of respect, tolerance and, dare I say it, common British decency.
"The fact we work together does not mean we’re afraid to say when we think the US has got it wrong. I'm very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do."
Asked by The Sun if the row will scupper the President's state visit to Britain, Mrs May insisted the trip will go ahead but admitted the timing is unclear.
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She replied: "An invitation for a state visit has been extended and has been accepted, we have yet to set a date."
And when asked if she would fire a British minister who shared anti-Muslim posts, the PM said: "I have absolute confidence that my Cabinet ministers would not be retweeting Britain First."
Mrs May added: "I’m not a prolific tweeter I don't spend all my time looking at other people's tweets, but when I feel there should be a response I give it and I have given it to President Trump’s tweets."
Yesterday the PM's spokesman said Mr Trump was "wrong" to retweet the organisation - but today's speech is the first time she has personally criticised the President.
British politicians responded with fury this morning after seeing Mr Trump's tweet aimed directly at the PM - who has previously been a close ally.
Lib Dem boss Vince Cable wrote on Twitter: "New @realDonaldTrump insult to @theresa_may. She must end humiliating dependence of #Brexit Britain on goodwill of evil racist. Cancel visit."
Veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn added: "Trump should be arrested for inciting racial hatred if May allows him to set foot on UK soil."
Senior backbencher Chris Bryant said: "The Prime Minister should make it absolutely clear that if Donald Trump comes to this country, he'll be arrested for inciting religious hatred."
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary hinted that such strong language risked harming relations between Britain and the US.
She said: "President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet videos hosted by far-right group Britain First.
"I know how valuable the friendship is between our two nations - the importance of the relationship between our two countries and the unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries is vital.
"It has undoubtedly saved British lives - that is the bigger picture here and I would urge people to remember that."
Ms Rudd added: "However strongly members feel about the President himself, we must protect that particular relationship with the US which does so much to protect British lives."
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But asked by Tory MP Peter Bone if she wanted the PM to tell Mr Trump to "delete his Twitter account", she replied: "I'm sure many of us might share his view."
Her comments came during an urgent Commons debate, granted by the anti-Trump Speaker John Bercow to "express support for the victims of racism and bigotry and to denounce their purveyors".
Despite Ms Rudd's warning, multiple senior Tories added their voices to the chorus of criticism overnight, including some with Muslim family backgrounds.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: "So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing."
Hero MP Tobias Ellwood, who helped out during the Westminster terror attack, endorsed Mr Javid's statement adding: "Extremism will continue to breed if we do not stand united in identifying, condemning and tackling it."
Donald Trump slams Theresa May on Twitter after No10 criticised him for retweeting Britain First videos
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Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi shared an open letter to the President, saying: "You are soon due to visit the United Kingdom.
"When you are here, I believe you would find enlightening the experience of visiting our beautiful cities like Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester and London. They are so far removed from the stereotypes that the videos of Britain First try to portray."
Asked about the latest tweet by Mr Trump, Cabinet minister Justine Greening told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In the end, our relationship with the United States has a longevity to it that will succeed long after presidents come and go.
"I don't agree with the tweet President Trump has made, but I have to say I also believe it should not distract from the agenda we have domestically and I don't believe it should detract from the close relationship the UK has had for many, many years and will go on to have with America and the American people."
Sadiq Khan said it was "increasingly clear that any official visit from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed".
The British ambassador to the US revealed that he contacted the White House yesterday to raise his concerns.
Kim Darroch said: "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which seek to divide communities and erode decency, tolerance and respect.
"British Muslims are peaceful and law-abiding citizens."
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Mr Trump's defensive tweet comes after Number 10 yesterday criticised him for sharing anti-Muslim messages online.
In a rare slap-down, a Government spokesman said: "It is wrong for the President to have done this," and slammed Britain First for using "hateful narratives."
The President suffered an embarrassing online blunder with his late-night message, when he tagged the wrong Theresa May in the post.
The tweet was promptly deleted and posted again with the correct Theresa May included, but not before it caught the attention of many bemused Twitter users.
The videos re-tweeted by Trump have caused worldwide outrage, and come from the account of Jayda Fransen, the Deputy leader of Britain First.
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They claim to show a Muslim man attempting to destroy a statue of the Virgin Mary, a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch boy on crutches and an Islamist mob pushing a teenage boy off a roof and beating him to death.
Last night Dutch cops said the clip was filmed near Amsterdam and the attacker was Dutch, not a migrant and not Muslim.
And it was also reported the other two videos he retweeted were both more than five years old.
The Twitter spat is likely to cause embarrassment to Mrs May, who earlier this year said she wanted "to renew the Special Relationship" between the US and the UK.
PM Theresa May and US President Donald Trump walk hand-in-hand after talks
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The Prime Minister was the first world leader to visit Mr Trump following his inauguration, when she flew to the White House in January.
Mrs May has spoken of her hopes to strike a trade deal with the US after Brexit, and controversially invited the President on a UK state visit.
Yesterday, it was claimed plans for the visit remained in place despite Number 10's condemnation of Trump's actions.
It is still unknown when this visit will take place.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded to No 10's criticism by saying at a press conference today that regardless of whether the videos are real, "the threat is."
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British MPs shouted “disgraceful” as the tweets were raised in the House Commons today after Prime Minister’s Questions.
Stephen Doughty called the comments “highly inflammatory” and Yvette Cooper slammed the “significance and seriousness” of the President giving Fransen a “huge platform”.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the tweets were "abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society".
The three videos featured in the tweets are all unverified.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan yesterday reignited his feud with the US President, describing Britain First as a "vile, hate-fuelled organisation whose views should be condemned, not amplified."
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Fransen, 31, was arrested earlier this month and flown to Belfast, where she is charged with using threatening and abusive language during a speech she made at an anti-terrorism demonstration in the city.
Britain First claim to be a political party, and want to ban Islam from the UK.
Although Trump does not follow Fransen on Twitter, her tweets were retweeted by conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who the President does follow.
Far-right Hate
By Matt Dathan
FAR-RIGHT group Britain First has built up a following of almost two million on Facebook despite spreading hate.
Its officials describe it as a “patriotic political party and street movement” that “fights the injustices routinely inflicted on British people”.
Videos it posts online often target minority groups but analysis shows they consistently contain false claims about the circumstances shown.
Leader Paul Golding, 35, is due in court in January charged with causing religiously aggravated harassment as part of an investigation into the distribution of leaflets and videos during a crown court trial.
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