A petition calling for American presidential hopeful Donald Trump to be refused entry to the UK has passed 160,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, meaning the issue will be considered for debate in parliament.
The controversial Republican had provoked near global condemnation after claiming as president he would order a “complete shutdown” of Muslim immigration to the United States.
Defending his remakrs, the billionaire candidate also went on to claim his policy was based in part on the aftermath of the Paris attacks.
"They have sections in Paris that are radicalised, where the police refuse to go there. They're petrified. The police refuse to go in there.
"We have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives. We have to be very smart and very vigilant," he told MSNBC.
British politicans have condemned his remarks. David Cameron called them “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong."
In classic fashion, Boris Johnson responded to Trump’s latest remarks by claiming: "The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.”
Meanwhile, London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith labelled Trump an “appalling creature” and likened some of the rhetoric of his policies to that of the Nazis.
Shortly after the petition surpassed the required 100,000 votes, it appeared the government page crashed.
