Donald Trump threatens to pull out of Scottish golf course projects
Wednesday 6 January 2016 17:36, UK
US presidential candidate Donald Trump is threatening to pull out of deals to plough millions of pounds into his golf courses in Scotland if he is prevented from entering the United Kingdom.
Later this month Parliament will debate a petition calling for him to be banned over his remarks about Muslims, while a rival petition claims he should be allowed into the country.
More than 500,000 people signed an online petition calling for the contender for the Republican presidential nomination to be blocked following his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States last month. Almost 40,000 people have backed one saying he should not be barred.
Under British law any petition that gains 100,000 signatures must be considered for Parliamentary debate and the House of Commons has now said both petitions will be heard on January 18.
And in a statement, the Trump Organization has said the billionaire businessman will pull out of proposed future developments in Scotland if the debate goes against him.
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It read: "The Trump Organization has plans to invest more than £200m into the development of the iconic Trump Turnberry resort, located in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
"Our work there has been widely supported by the local community and created hundreds of jobs for the region. Over the coming years, we intend to further develop Trump Turnberry and invest millions more at the site, creating sustained economic growth for South Ayrshire and Scotland.
"Additionally, we have plans to invest £500m towards further development at the 1,400 acre Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen, which has been consistently rated the best modern golf course in Great Britain and Ireland by the prestigious Golfweek magazine and many others in the global golf community.
"Any action to restrict travel would force the Trump Organization to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom.
"Westminster would create a dangerous precedent and send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment.
"This would also alienate the many millions of United States citizens who wholeheartedly support Mr Trump and have made him the forerunner by far in the 2016 Presidential Election."
