British MPs to debate whether to grant Trump a state visit
British members of Parliament will debate whether US President Donald Trump should be granted a state visit to the country.
The debate will take place on February 20.
The announcement comes as a petition urging the UK government to withdraw an invitation for Trump to visit London gained nearly 1.7 million signatures.
"Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen," the petition reads.
The petition to halt Trump’s visit was started in November, months before Prime Minister Theresa May visited the White House. During her visit on Friday, May extended the invitation for Trump to visit London later this year.
But the campaign gained momentum after Trump signed an executive order on the same day, closing the nation’s doors to people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
British lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party denounced Trump's ban.
The move also sparked mass protests across the UK on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people across Britain protested against Trump’s travel ban on Muslims as well as May’s decision to formally invite the US president.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn called the prime minister a disgrace, demanding that Trump be banned from the UK until the Muslim ban is lifted.
Meanwhile, a second petition calling for the US president to proceed with a full visit to the UK also passed the 100,000 threshold.
The rival petition says Trump is the "leader of a free world" and his views should not be "gagged."
The UK Parliament will also debate that petition on the same day as the original one.
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