Prime Minister Theresa May has defended her decision to invite the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, to the United Kingdom, despite thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of London last night. Further, over 1.5 million people signed an online petition to attempt to stop the state visit.

'Taking a different approach to Trump'

Last night, Theresa May responded to growing activism across the United Kingdom. In a brief response, May stated that the U.K. will be “taking a different approach when it comes to the United States’.

May’s response comes after news broke of Trump’s attempts to block travellers from several different Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

“’The United Kingdom and the United States are close allies. We work together across multiple areas of mutual interest. We have a special relationship. I have issued the invite to President Trump and that invite stands,’ said Theresa May. The Prime Minister refused to condemn Donald Trump: a sign of British political weakness post-Brexit.

Downing Street did not deny Trump informed the Prime Minister of his plans to block citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States for ninety days. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Glasgow, chanting: ‘Shame on May’.

Corbyn demands May stands up against Trump

The leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, penned a letter to May, urging her to listen to the million Britons that asked for the state visit to be cancelled. Corbyn said: ‘This world has already defeated segregation and apartheid. This policy is designed to spread hate and division across the globe.

Trump’s invite should be revoked until Trump backs down on this policy’.

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson urged MPs not to demonise Trump in a statement to the House of Commons. Johnson said: ‘The President has given us assurances that this order will make no difference to any British passport holder living in the U.S. regardless of their country of birth’.