Theresa May has refused to condemn Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and entry for citizens of seven Muslim nations.
Her refusal to condemn the measure comes just a day after meeting the new President in Washington where the pair pledged their commitment to the “special relationship” between Britain and the US.
Ms May refused to condemn the measure during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım in Turkey.
Their talks were overshadowed by global debate over Mr Trump’s executive order to ban Syrian refugees from entering the US indefinitely, halt all other asylum admissions for 120 days and suspended travel visas for citizens of “countries of particular concern”, including Syria, Iraq, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan.
Faisal Islam, the political editor of Sky News, asked Ms May whether she viewed it as an “action of the leader of the free world.” The Prime Minister replied that she was “very pleased” to have met Mr Trump in Washington, before evading the question by hailing Turkey’s reception of millions of refugees and Britain’s support for its government and other nations surrounding Syria.
When pressed for a second time for her view by another British journalist, Ms May continued: “The United States is responsible for the United States’ policy on refugees, the United Kingdom is responsible for the United Kingdom’s policy on refugees.”
Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, said the Prime Minister’s refusal to condemn Mr Trump’s “Muslim ban is shocking, wrong and cannot stand”. He added: “It flies in the face of the values of people across Britain.”
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Mr Trump has suspended all refugee admissions to the US for 120 days as part of measures he claimed would “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US.” His order additionally banned Syrian refugees indefinitely until “significant changes” are made, and halved the annual cap on refugees to 50,000.
The move has provoked an outcry from the United Nations and NGOs working to stem the worst ever global refugee crisis, with more than 65 million people forced to flee their homes.
Amnesty International warned the move could have “catastrophic consequences”, saying some of the worst fears about a Trump presidency were already being realised.
Salil Shetty, the group’s secretary general, said: “These men, women and children are the victims of the same terror President Trump claims he wants to fight against. The irony beggars belief.”
