Amber Rudd: Trump travel ban a 'propaganda opportunity' for Isis
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Version 0 of 1. The home secretary has strengthened Britain’s criticism of Donald Trump’s travel ban, branding it “a potential propaganda opportunity” for Islamic State , but has been criticised by MPs for taking several days to air her concern. Giving evidence before the home affairs select committee, Amber Rudd agreed that most attacks in the US, Britain and Europe had been carried out by domestic terrorists in the most recent years and said that Isis would “use every opportunity” to radicalise people. The home secretary said she had made clear in a phone call to the head of the US Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly, that she disagreed with the travel ban, and had told him of the difficulties it was causing UK citizens and the “response that was taking place in London and across the country”. Rudd also said: “I think the important thing is for the government to state that we disagree with the ban and we have said it is divisive. It is wrong. I will continue to say that.” But Rudd was challenged by the committee chair, Yvette Cooper, as to why she had not raised her wider criticisms of the travel ban with Kelly in the phone call. Cooper repeatedly pressed her on when she would make her concerns about its negative impact known to her US counterpart. Theresa May has also come under criticism for not being vocal in criticising Trump’s ban on. On Monday, the prime minister made the briefest of responses to the domestic uproar over the US president’s attempt to ban travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, insisting that the “UK takes a different approach”. The countries on Trump’s list are Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. At the committee, the home secretary also questioned the basis of the countries subject to the three-month travel ban to the US, saying the “sources of terrorism were not to be found in the places where the president was said to be looking for them”. She said Britain would not take a similar approach on its refugee policy. Asked about the 120-day ban on all refugees while “extreme vetting” was introduced, Rudd agreed it would undermine international refugee protection in that fewer refugees would be accepted by the US as a result of the policy. But she refused to add her voice to the criticism of the invitation of a state visit to Britain afforded Trump when Labour MP Chuka Umunna challenged her saying: “What message do you think it gives this country’s three million Muslims when you invite a known Islamophobe and honour him in the way you intend to?” Rudd replied: “I think we can hold two things in our head, which is to say to the president of the US, ‘We find this policy divisive and wrong’, and still to respect the president of the United States and want to engage with him in the way we would engage with world leaders to try to promote UK’s interests.” At the end of the committee hearing Cooper told the home secretary she had been unconvincing about when she would raise her wider criticisms with the Trump administration. Cooper added that Rudd should do so directly before a face to face meeting with her US opposite number. The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, said Rudd was right to point out how divisive and counterproductive the travel ban was but it should not have taken tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets to force the government to find its backbone. |