A third of Britons back US president Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban on people from a range of Muslim-majority countries, a new poll has found.
The Republican president’s blanket ban gets a 33% approval rating, and while 55% would not like to see a similar move imposed in the UK, nearly one in three voters, 29%, would support that, according to a ComRes poll for The Independent and Sunday Mirror.
Commons Speaker John Bercow’s refusal to allow Trump to address both houses of Parliament during his state visit is backed by 45% of people, while 39% oppose it.
In the popularity stakes, Prime Minister Theresa May beats David Beckham by 41% to 37%. And more people have a favourable opinion of Trump, 14%, than have one of Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who is on 11%.
The poll gave the Tories a 15% lead over Labour, with the parties standing at 41% and 26% respectively, while Ukip and the Lib Dems are both on 11%, the SNP 5%, and the Greens 4%.
Trump on Friday pledged to announce “additional security for our country” next week, after saying he won’t defend his travel ban at the Supreme Court after it was upheld by the appeals court.
“We are going to do whatever’s necessary to keep our country safe,” he said.
“We’ll be doing something very rapidly having to do with additional security for our country... You’ll see something next week.”
Earlier in the day, Trump called the appeals court’s decision “disgraceful”.
NBC reported that Trump’s lawyers were working on a rewrite of the executive order that could win court approval.