But most of the MPs who spoke were critical of the call in a petition signed by 575,000 people for Trump to be banned from the UK.
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The debate was triggered by a public petition launched in the wake of Trump’s call to ban Muslims from the USA, which called on the British parliament to ban Trump from the country for hate speech.
Britain’s Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, who rarely comments on USA politics, has branded Trump’s remarks about Muslims and Mexicans “stupid and wrong”. By British law, petitions which have more than 1,00,000 signatures must be considered for debate in the Parliament.
Members of Parliament said Trump should be allowed into Britain where his views could be challenged, that a ban would give him more publicity or that it was not for Britain to get involved in American affairs. “The great danger by attacking this one man is that we can fix on him a halo of victimhood”. It called for the blocking Trump from British shores.
Paul Scully, a member of the Conservative Party, noted that people have been barred from the country for hate speech and inciting violence, “but not for stupidity”.
Jack Dromey, the shadow Home Affairs minister, said: “In the current febrile climate Isis needs Donald Trump and Donald Trump needs Isis”.
She told MPs: “If he met one or two of my constituents in one of the many excellent pubs in my constituency then they may well tell him he is a wazzock for dealing with this issue in this way”.
“I will urge that we treat him with courtesy inviting him here to show us where the United Kingdom “no-go” areas are for police, introducing him to centres of racial harmony in Wales and England, discussing our 24 deaths from gunshots per year compared with 160 this year in the U.S.”, he said.
Could Donald Trump be persona non grata on the soil of one of America’s closest and strongest allies?
Lee finished off by pointing out that Britain has welcomed Saudi and Chinese leaders whose crimes are “far far worse than anything Mr Trump can dream up”.
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP member for Ochil and South Perthshire, said Trump was racist and she felt so strongly in favour of a ban because his words about Muslims applied to her, her family and her friends. “She will, I’m sure, be listening”, he said, optimistically.
“We should not build him up by our attacks”, BBC News quoted Labour MP Paul Flynn as saying.
The parliament itself can not ban anyone from the country; the decision would come to Home Secretary Theresa May.
Sarah Malone, executive vice president of Trump International Golf Links, Scotland, said “debating a matter raised as part of the American Presidential election” was a waste of parliamentary time.
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Trump has threatened to cancel over 700 million pounds (BDS$2 billion) of planned investments in golf courses in Scotland if he is banned.
