UK responds to petition calling for Trump ban

The United Kingdom has responded to a petition calling for Donald Trump to be barred from the country over his controversial comments about Muslims.

While emphasizing its disagreement with Trump’s remarks, the government suggested it wouldn’t prevent the outspoken Republican presidential front-runner from entering the U.K. — at least not yet.

{mosads}The British government reaffirmed Home Secretary Theresa May’s ability to bar non-European Economic Area nationals from the U.K. if she considers their presence in the country to be “non-conducive to the public good.”

“The Home Secretary has said that coming to the UK is a privilege and not a right and she will continue to use the powers available to prevent from entering the UK those who seek to harm our society and who do not share our basic values,” the government said in its statement.

A petition circulated earlier this month to ban Trump attracted more than 500,000 signatures, smashing through the  threshold of 100,000 necessary for Parliament to consider debating the issue.

The petition was in response to Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. following the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif.

Trump’s proposal was panned across the political spectrum in the U.S. and globally, with British Prime Minister David Cameron joining other world leaders in condemning the idea.