Boris Johnson insisted last night the UK’s relationship with the United States was “overwhelmingly to our benefit”, as he confirmed all Britons remain welcome to travel there.
The foreign secretary came under fire for not taking a tougher stand against Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban.
But he stressed the answer was not to “disengage” with our “closest and most important ally”.
He also accused Labour of seeking “pointlessly to demonise” the new US administration.
And he rejected comparisons between the newly elected leader of the US and the “tyrants of the 1930s” as “inappropriate”.
Signed by the president on Friday – hours after his meeting with Theresa May – the executive order suspended the US refugee programme for 120 days and banned Syrian refugees from the country indefinitely.
It also banned entry to the US for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries – Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen – for 90 days.
Mr Johnson came to the House following confusion over the position of British passport holders.
He said he had received assurances from the US embassy that the order would make “no difference” to Britons, regardless of their country of birth or dual nationality.
The Tory frontbencher reiterated his view a number of times it was “divisive and wrong” to stigmatise people on the basis of nationality.
But he said US immigration policy was a matter for the US Government.
And he called the UK’s alliance with America “vital”, adding: “That relationship is overwhelmingly to our benefit.”
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry asked whether Mr Trump had discussed his plans with the prime minister during their talks at the White House.
This was also put to him by the SNP’s Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who branded the move “inhumane, racist and immoral” and accused Mr Trump of buying into so-called Islamic State’s narrative.
She also said Mrs May had failed her first major test in the top job.
Former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper stressed it was about more than the impact on British citizens.
She added: “All you can say is ‘well, it’s not our policy’. That isn’t good enough.
“Have you urged the US administration to lift the order to ban refugees and stop targeting Muslims?
“For the sake of history, for heaven’s sake, have the guts to speak out.”
Outlining the exemption he secured, Mr Johnson said: “The general principle is that all British passport holders remain welcome to travel to the US.
“We have received assurances from the US embassy that this executive order will make no difference to any British passport holder, irrespective of their country of birth or whether they hold another passport.”
