Trump Investment Warning Over Potential UK Ban
Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of future UK investment, including the development of the Turnberry golf resort, if MPs move to ban him from the country.
Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of future UK investment, including the development of the Turnberry golf resort, if MPs move to ban him from the country.
Westminster will debate calls for the billionaire businessman to be refused UK entry later this month after a petition amassed more than half a million signatures.
It followed controversial comments made by the US presidential hopeful about Muslims.
Republican Mr Trump has a number of business interests in the UK, including Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire.
His company said MPs would set a dangerous precedent'' if they restricted his travel and alienate millions of US citizens.
A statement from The Trump Organisation said: Over the coming years, we intend to further develop Trump Turnberry and invest millions more at the site, creating sustained economic growth for South Ayrshire and Scotland.
Additionally, we have plans to invest #500 million towards further development at the 1,400 -acre Trump International Golf Links.
Any action to restrict travel would force The Trump Organisation to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom.
Westminster would create a dangerous precedent and send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment.
This would also alienate the many millions of United States citizens who wholeheartedly support Mr Trump and have made him the forerunner by far in the 2016 Presidential Election.''
Mr Trump faced an international backlash after urging a ''total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on''.
Justifying his comments, he claimed there were ''places in London and other places that are so radicalised that police are afraid for their own lives''.
Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the remarks as ''divisive, stupid and wrong'' but made clear he did not support banning Mr Trump.
Labour MP Paul Flynn, a member of the Commons Petitions Committee, will lead a parliamentary debate on January 18 after 570,000 people signed a petition demanding he be barred.
Politicians will also discuss a separate petition opposing such a ban, even though it only garnered around 40,000 signatures - well below the 100,000 threshold for triggering a debate.
Chairwoman Helen Jones said: ''By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the Government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK.
''A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed.''