Thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Britain on Monday night, calling for Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain to be cancelled in response to his travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim countries.
More than 1.4 million people have signed a petition demanding that the visit should be cancelled, but Downing Street insisted on Monday that it would go ahead as planned.
Speaking in Dublin, British prime minister Theresa May said the US was a "close ally" and the "invitation stands".
As a large crowd of protesters marched from London's Trafalgar Square to the gates of Downing Street, MPs held an emergency debate on the travel ban. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson said that, although the British government disagreed with Mr Trump's policy, its relationship with the US was vital to Britain's national interest.
Joint nationality
Mr Johnson said the travel ban would not affect any British passport holders, regardless of where they were born or if they had joint nationality with one of the named countries.
“The general principle is that all British passport holders remain welcome to travel to the US,” he said. “This is not our policy, nor is it a measure that this government would consider. I have already made clear our anxiety about measures that discriminate on grounds of nationality in ways that are divisive and wrong.”
The statement followed a day of confusion over how the ban would affect British citizens with dual nationality from the seven named countries.
The foreign office said on Sunday night that Mr Johnson had received assurances from Washington that such British citizens would not be affected unless they were travelling to the US from one of the banned countries.
A Downing Street spokesman said on Monday there was no special deal for British citizens but the position outlined by the foreign office described the situation of dual nationals generally.
Later, however, the US embassy in London appeared to contradict the British government’s advice, issuing an urgent notice to dual citizens from the affected countries not to apply for a visa.
