Mail Online :
Donald Trump has threatened to pull £700million of investment in Scotland if he is banned from Britain over comments he made about Muslims.
The defiant US business mogul has said that the UK would ‘send a terrible message to the world that it opposes free speech’ if he is barred by the Government.
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition demanding the billionaire is barred from Britain after he claimed police were scared to enter areas of London because of radical Islam.
He also called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’ after the San Bernardino shooting in California carried out by married extremists.
Today the controversial tycoon was accused of ‘holding the UK to ransom’ after he warned he will not put any more money into his two Scots golf course.
The Trump Organisation issued the warning after it was revealed MPs will debate whether or not the tycoon should be allowed back into Britain on January 18 at Westminster Hall.
But having said he will withdraw £700million funding that would also create new jobs in Scotland.
Tulip Siddiq, a Muslim Labour MP, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘The United Kingdom should not be held to ransom by corrosive billionaire politicians. In our country, money doesn’t buy the right to sew discord and hatred in our communities.
‘Donald Trump’s threats about withholding investment from the UK is another desperate attempt to get in the headlines and anyone seeing his comments should reject his bigotry.’
Mr Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland: Trump International Golf Links, in Aberdeenshire, and the iconic Turnberry course in Ayrshire.
George Sorial, executive vice-president of the Trump Organisation, warned any action to restrict Mr Trump’s travel would force the company to ‘immediately end’ all current and future investment in the country.
He said: ‘The Trump Organization has plans to invest more than 200 million pounds into the development of the iconic Trump Turnberry resort.
‘Our work there has been widely supported by the local community and created hundreds of jobs for the region.
‘Over the coming years, we intend to further develop Trump Turnberry and invest millions more at the site, creating sustained economic growth for South Ayrshire and Scotland.
‘Additionally, we have plans to invest £500million pounds towards further development at the 1,400 acre Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen.
‘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 send a terrible message to the World that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment.’
Mr Sorial added that banning Mr Trump from UK soil 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.’
In December last year, presidential hopeful Mr Trump called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’ following terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, in California.
Following his comments, a petition calling for the business tycoon to be banned from the UK quickly became the most-signed petition in gov.uk’s history, reaching over half a million signatures.
A petition with over 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Suzanne Kelly, the Aberdeenshire woman who started the petition, said: ‘When the signatures quickly topped the 100,000 mark and a parliamentary debate was triggered, I still did not actually believe that this billionaire would be the subject of a parliamentary debate.
‘However the debate goes, this exercise has brought many people together to speak out against hate speech and prejudice. ‘That is my reward, and one I’m very happy and moved by.’ The debate will be chaired by Labour MP Paul Flynn.
Labour MP Helen Jones, chair of the House of Commons Petitions Select Committee, said: ‘By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the Committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the Government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK.
‘As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the Committee has decided that the subject should be debated. A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed.’
Donald Trump has threatened to pull £700million of investment in Scotland if he is banned from Britain over comments he made about Muslims.
The defiant US business mogul has said that the UK would ‘send a terrible message to the world that it opposes free speech’ if he is barred by the Government.
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition demanding the billionaire is barred from Britain after he claimed police were scared to enter areas of London because of radical Islam.
He also called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’ after the San Bernardino shooting in California carried out by married extremists.
Today the controversial tycoon was accused of ‘holding the UK to ransom’ after he warned he will not put any more money into his two Scots golf course.
The Trump Organisation issued the warning after it was revealed MPs will debate whether or not the tycoon should be allowed back into Britain on January 18 at Westminster Hall.
But having said he will withdraw £700million funding that would also create new jobs in Scotland.
Tulip Siddiq, a Muslim Labour MP, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘The United Kingdom should not be held to ransom by corrosive billionaire politicians. In our country, money doesn’t buy the right to sew discord and hatred in our communities.
‘Donald Trump’s threats about withholding investment from the UK is another desperate attempt to get in the headlines and anyone seeing his comments should reject his bigotry.’
Mr Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland: Trump International Golf Links, in Aberdeenshire, and the iconic Turnberry course in Ayrshire.
George Sorial, executive vice-president of the Trump Organisation, warned any action to restrict Mr Trump’s travel would force the company to ‘immediately end’ all current and future investment in the country.
He said: ‘The Trump Organization has plans to invest more than 200 million pounds into the development of the iconic Trump Turnberry resort.
‘Our work there has been widely supported by the local community and created hundreds of jobs for the region.
‘Over the coming years, we intend to further develop Trump Turnberry and invest millions more at the site, creating sustained economic growth for South Ayrshire and Scotland.
‘Additionally, we have plans to invest £500million pounds towards further development at the 1,400 acre Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen.
‘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 send a terrible message to the World that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment.’
Mr Sorial added that banning Mr Trump from UK soil 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.’
In December last year, presidential hopeful Mr Trump called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’ following terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, in California.
Following his comments, a petition calling for the business tycoon to be banned from the UK quickly became the most-signed petition in gov.uk’s history, reaching over half a million signatures.
A petition with over 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Suzanne Kelly, the Aberdeenshire woman who started the petition, said: ‘When the signatures quickly topped the 100,000 mark and a parliamentary debate was triggered, I still did not actually believe that this billionaire would be the subject of a parliamentary debate.
‘However the debate goes, this exercise has brought many people together to speak out against hate speech and prejudice. ‘That is my reward, and one I’m very happy and moved by.’ The debate will be chaired by Labour MP Paul Flynn.
Labour MP Helen Jones, chair of the House of Commons Petitions Select Committee, said: ‘By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the Committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the Government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK.
‘As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the Committee has decided that the subject should be debated. A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed.’
