Donald Trump threatens to cut ties with UK over travel ban debate
Donald Trump turns 73 next week. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty)
Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw £700 million of his business empire’s investments in the UK if he is banned over extremist comments.
Mr Trump, who is currently leading the Republican field, has managed to spark fury during his campaign by targeting minority groups.
A petition to ban him from the UK received over half a million signatures – after Trump called for Muslims to be banned from the US and claimed police ‘fear for their lives’ in English cities.
The petition has passed the levels required to force a government reply and a Parliamentary debate on the issue – set to go ahead this month.
However, Mr Trump issued a coded threat to pull all funding from the UK over the row.
An official statement from Trump’s business empire warned: “Any action to restrict travel would force the Trump Organization 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.”
The group says it had planned to invest more than £700m into Trump’s Scottish business ventures – with £200m for “the development of the iconic Trump Turnberry resort, located in South Ayrshire, Scotland” – and “£500m towards further development at the 1,400 acre Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen.
