Anti-Donald Trump petition has one million signatures

An online petition calling for Donald Trump to be stopped from making an official state visit to Britain has reached one million signatures.

President Donald Trump and Theresa May gesture during their joint news conference last week in the East Room of the White House. Picture: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

But Prime Minister Theresa May’s officials have confirmed that she is pressing ahead with plans to receive the US president.

The petition, on the government’s official petitions site, quickly reached the 100,000 signatures needed to be considered for a debate in parliament.

At one point it was being signed by more than a thousand people a minute.

Downing Street has confirmed that Theresa May will not be withdrawing her invitation to the US president because it remains “substantially in the national interest”.

A spokesman said: “We extended the invite and it was accepted.”

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.

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