A defiant Theresa May has stood by the decision to issue an invitation to Donald Trump to make a state visit to Britain in the face of the outcry over his controversial travel ban.

The Prime Minister, who became the first world leader to meet the new US president in the White House, faces demands from a petition signed by more than 1.4 million people to call off the visit.

But appearing at a joint press conference in Dublin with Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, Mrs May was adamant it would go ahead.

Prime Minister Theresa May, pictured at a press conference in Ireland, said the US and UK remain close allies and that President Trump's state visit invitation 'stands'

'The United States is a close ally of the United Kingdom. We work together across many areas of mutual interest and we have that special relationship between us,' she said.

'I have issued that invitation for a state visit for President Trump to the United Kingdom and that invitation stands.'

It came after Boris Johnson tonight assured Donald Trump there is no chance of his state visit to the UK later this year being cancelled.

He rejected calls by senior Tory politicians and a petition signed by more than 1.4million people demanding the President be uninvited in the wake of his travel ban on citizens from seven majority Muslim countries.

The Foreign Secretary said President Trump was an 'elected head of state of our closest allies and said there was 'absolutely no reason why he should not be accorded a state visit and every reason why he should'.

No10 said Theresa May is 'very happy' President Trump has accepted the Queen's invitation to visit, adding: 'We look forward to hosting the President later this year.'

Boris Johnson, pictured in the Commons today, tonight assured Donald Trump there is no chance of his state visit to the UK later this year being cancelled

But Mr Johnson did repeat his criticism of President Trump's 'highly controversial' travel ban and accepted it had caused 'unease' across the world.

He also issued fresh travel guidance, insisting no British citizens will be affected by President Trump's immigration crackdown.

But there was growing pressure on the Government over its relationship with President Trump.

Protests against his ban are planned to take place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Cambridge and Birmingham and in London demonstrators will protest outside Downing Street.

Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the first female to attend Cabinet, became the latest high profile politicians to call for the state visit to be postponed until President Trump has lifted his controversial travel ban.

And MPs must now debate calls for President Trump's state visit to be cancelled after the online petition easily passed the 100,000 target within hours of being set up.

More than 1million people have signed a petition demanding President Trump's state visit to the UK is cancelled. Pictured, President Trump with an executive order in the Oval Office

Theresa May, pictured left arriving for Brexit talks in Cardiff today, is under growing pressure to postpone Donald Trump's state visit to the UK. Baroness Warsi, right, the ex-Tory Cabinet minister, said Britain must not honour the US President by rolling out the red carpet for him

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured at the Despatch Box today, said President Trump was an 'elected head of state of our closest allies and said there was 'absolutely no reason why he should not be accorded a state visit and every reason why he should'

It exceeded 1million names by 10am this morning - less than 36 hours after it was set up - and is the second most popular motion on the Government's online petition website.

But a Downing Street source dismissed the petition, which claims his visit would embarrass the Queen, as 'a populist gesture'.

And they blasted the suggestion that the President's state visit could be scrapped, saying it would 'undo everything' that Mrs May achieved during her visit to the White House on Friday.

In angry exchanges in the Commons today MPs urged ministers to cancel President Trump's state visit.

Veteran socialist Dennis Skinner said Britain must not walk 'hand-in-hand with another fascist – Trump,' while his Labour colleague David Winnick branded President Trump a 'bigoted man' who 'under no circumstances should address Parliament' during his state visit.

But Mr Johnson rejected calls to cancel the visit, telling MPs: 'We should bear in mind that he is the elected head of state of our closest and most important ally and there is absolutely no reason why he should not be accorded a state visit and every reason why he should.'

The petition reached 1million signatures mark by 10am this morning - less than 36 hours after it was set up

Veteran socialist Dennis Skinner, pictured in the Commons today, said Britain must not walk 'hand-in-hand with another fascist – Trump'

Labour colleague David Winnick, pictured standing up in the Commons today, branded President Trump a 'bigoted man' who 'under no circumstances should address Parliament' during his state visit

There were warnings from London's Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan that going ahead with President Trump's visit could increase the threat of terrorism in London. 'I fear it will be used to act as a recruiting sergeant for so called Isis and other like minded groups,' he wrote in the Evening Standard.

Mr Khan said Londoners will not support 'rolling out the red carpet' for President Trump.

Last night it was announced that the executive order, which prevents anyone entering the US from seven Muslim majority countries for 90 days, will not apply to British nationals holding dual nationality with one of the banned nations.

WHO HAS TRUMP BANNED? President Trump's executive order prevents anyone entering the US from seven Muslim majority countries for 90 days. The Foreign Office secured clarification about what the travel ban means for the UK. Its guidance says: The ban does not apply to any British citizen, regardless of whether they were born in - or hold dual nationality with - the seven countries on Trump's travel ban.

But the ban does apply to anyone who does not hold British citizenship and is from from one of the seven countries: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Travellers to the US from anywhere other than one of those countries will experience no extra checks, regardless of nationality or place of birth.

Dual nationals might have extra checks if they travel directly from one of the seven countries. Advertisement

Today Downing Street insisted it was not a special deal for Britons but instead officials had sought clarification. A spokesman for the PM added that she 'disagrees with the restrictions'.

President Trump's hardline immigration crackdown triggered protests across the US and today thousands of demonstrators will take to the streets in cities across Britain.

Tory peer Baroness Warsi said President Trump must not be given the honour of a state visit.

'We have to question whether, in Britain, this is something that Britain should be doing for a man who has no respect for women, disdain for minorities, little value for LGBT communities, no compassion for the vulnerable and whose policies are rooted in divisive rhetoric,' she told the Today programme.

'Those who run and govern this country bowing down to a man who holds the views that he holds, values which are not the same as British values, I think is sending out a very wrong signal.'

The peer said the Government must ensure that 'people in this country know that whatever crazy things the President of the United States may be doing, it is not what we believe and not what we support.'

Baroness Warsi echoed Ms Davidson, who said a state visit 'could not possibly occur' while 'a cruel and divisive policy which discriminates against citizens of the host nation is in place'.

Mr Khan, who became the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital city last year, wrote in the Evening Standard today: 'We must now rescind the offer of a full state visit for President Trump - until this ban is lifted.

'I don't believe the people of London will support rolling out the red carpet until this happens. Great friends must warn each other when they are making a mistake.'

And former Labour leader Ed Miliband told the BBC: 'If ever Isis wanted a tool to radicalise people against the United States, I'm afraid that President Trump has sadly provided it.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, pictured, said a state visit 'could not possibly occur' while 'a cruel and divisive policy which discriminates against citizens of the host nation is in place'

London's Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan, pictured, also said President Trump should only be invited for a state visit once he lifts his 'shameful' travel ban

The US President's shock executive order prevents anyone entering the US from seven Muslim majority countries for 90 days

Speaking alongside President Trump at the White House on Friday, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed that he and the First Lady had accepted an invitation from the Queen to make a state visit to the UK later this year with full pomp and ceremony

'I don't believe the state visit can go ahead in these circumstances.'

The petition calling for President Trump to be barred from given a state visit is now the second most popular since the government's online petition website was set up in 2010.

But the call for action is still a long way off the largest Parliamentary petition in history when more than 4million people demanded a second referendum over EU membership last summer.

Confirming that President Trump's state visit will go ahead later this year as planned, a Downing Street source told the BBC: 'The invitation has been issued and accepted.

'To scrap the visit would undo everything following Mrs May's visit. America is a huge and important ally we have to think long term.'

Despite this, MPs will have to debate cancelling President Trump's trip because the enormous response to the petition meant it easily passed the 100,000 target needed to trigger a Commons debate.

The enormous response easily passed the 100,000 target needed for MPs to consider holding a debate on the motion in the House of Commons, with more and more people flocking to sign it.

As more and more people flocked to sign it, the petition rose at an average of more than 1,000 signatures per minute.

Plans for a state visit for President Trump were only announced on Friday when Mrs May revealed he had accepted an invitation from the Queen.

The high-profile visit was scheduled for later this year and was set to feature the usual full pomp and ceremony.

But it had already hit a snag after it emerged the US President wants to avoid Prince Charles because of their dispute over global warming.

EIGHT PREVIOUS STATE VISITS THAT ATTRACTED CONTROVERSY Tens of thousands of people came out to protest against George W Bush over the war in Iraq when the Queen hosted him in 2003. Pictured, the Queen and the President at Windsor Castle From protesters toppling an effigy of George W Bush to demos against China's human rights record, state visits to the UK have had their fair share of controversy. 1971 - Japan's Emperor Hirohito Emperor Hirohito, Japan's wartime head of state, made his first state visit to Britain in 1971. Former prisoners of war - angry at Japan's brutal militaristic past - protested by standing in silence as his carriage drove past. Some turned their back on the emperor and wore red gloves to symbolise war deaths while others whistled the popular Second World War march, Colonel Bogey. They called on Japan to offer them compensation and a full apology for their treatment during the war. 1978 Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu It was the first state visit by a Communist head of state to the UK and Romania was already well-known as one of the most corrupt and oppressive of the Soviet Union's Cold War satellite states. The Queen took drastic steps to avoid meeting Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu any more than necessary, according to royal author Robert Hardman. 'While walking her dogs in the Palace gardens, she spotted Ceausescu and his wife Elena heading in her direction. 'As the Queen told a lunch guest some years later, she decided the best course of action was to hide behind a bush rather than conduct polite conversation,' he wrote. 1998 Japan's Emperor Akihito Just like his father did in 1971, Akihito met obvious hostility on London's streets from British prisoners of war. Former PoWs symbolically turned their backs on him, while others jeered him. Addressing the state banquet, Akihito spoke of his 'deep sorrow and pain' over the suffering inflicted by his country during the war, but did not apologise for the treatment of prisoners in work camps. 2003 - Russia's Vladimir Putin Her Majesty invited Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit in June 2003 Mr Putin's historic trip was the first by a Russian head of state since Tsar Nicholas I in 1843. Amnesty International and other human rights groups used the visit to highlight ongoing reports of killings, rape and torture by Russian forces in Chechnya. 2003 - US president George W Bush President George Bush's state visit, while Tony Blair was prime minister, was highly controversial. Tens of thousands of people came out to protest against the American leader and the war in Iraq, amid unprecedented security for a state visit. Demonstrations throughout Mr Bush's stay were mostly peaceful, and peaked with the toppling of an effigy of Mr Bush in Trafalgar Square, which parodied scenes of the capture of Baghdad. Stop The War Coalition said some 200,000 joined the demonstration. One protester threw an egg at the presidential cavalcade, but missed. 2005 - Chinese president Hu Jintao Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah's state visit in 2007 revived controversy over his regime's abuse of human rights Noisy protests against Chinese rule in Tibet targeted Hu Jintao's state carriage procession. The Metropolitan Police was criticised for its hardline handling of the peaceful demonstrations, and admitted following a High Court case its officers acted unlawfully when they removed protesters' banners and flags. The Prince of Wales, a supporter of the Dalai Lama, had been accused of boycotting a Chinese state visit to the UK in 1999 by failing to attend the return banquet held for then-president Jiang Zemin. This time, during Hu Jintao's stay, Charles carefully side-stepped the issue by being out of the country on a tour of the US on the night of the official dinner. He did not meet Mr Hu on the remaining two days of his visit. 2007 - Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah The first state visit by a Saudi king to the UK for 20 years revived controversy over the regime's abuse of human rights and the government's halting of a Serious Fraud Office bribery inquiry into the al-Yamamah arms deal. Tensions surrounding the trip were heightened when the king insisted in an interview Britain was not doing enough to tackle terrorism. Around 100 human rights and anti-arms trade activists jeered and shouted 'shame on you' as the royal procession passed along The Mall in central London. 2015 - China's President Xi Jinping Protesters attempting to highlight human rights violations clashed with pro-China supporters during a procession welcoming Chinese president Xi to the UK. Scuffles broke out between the two groups after the police perimeter set up for protesters was ignored by both sides. But thousands of supporters also lined The Mall to welcome Xi Jinping with flags, T-shirts and hats - provided by the Chinese embassy. Advertisement

The petition, backed by Mr Corbyn and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, says the US President should no longer be invited to avoid embarrassing the Queen.

The motion states: 'Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.

'Donald Trump's well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales.

'Therefore during the term of his presidency Donald Trump should not be invited to the United Kingdom for an official State Visit.'

Mr Corbyn said he is 'not happy with him coming here until that ban is lifted,' while Mr Farron said his visit would be 'placing the Queen in an impossible position of welcoming a man who is banning British citizens purely on grounds of their faith'.

Within hours of being set up it attracted the necessary 100,000 for the motion to be considered for debate in the Commons.

A heat map shows that most people who are signing the petition to cancel Mr Trump's state visit are in London or student towns. The darker the colour, the more people have signed it

Most people signing the petition are in London or student towns, according to a heat map.

Any petition that receives more than 100,000 signatures within six months must be considered for debate by MPs in Parliament.

TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN TRIGGERS TRAVEL CHAOS FOR BRITONS Hamaseh Tayari, pictured, a UK resident with an Iranian passport, was stranded in Costa Rica after being denied boarding a flight home to Glasgow because her flight was due to stop-over in New York British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are offering refunds for travellers affected by Donald Trump's travel ban. His executive order preventing anyone entering the US from seven Muslim majority countries for 90 days has triggered chaos at airports across the world as travellers were caught out in transit. Customers who have bought flights to the US will be given the choice of a refund or the chance to re-book. One woman affected was Hamaseh Tayari, a UK resident with an Iranian passport, who was stranded in Costa Rica after being denied boarding a flight home to Glasgow because her return flight was due to stop-over in New York. Ms Tayari was due to fly home to Glasgow via New York after holidaying in Costa Rica but her US transit visa was revoked as Mr Trump's immigration crackdown took effect immediately. She is now trying to work out an alternative route home but she said it is likely to cost her a month's salary to get home. 'This has really shocked me. We just discovered [what Trump did] at the airport when we went to check-in, Ms Tayari told the Guardian. 'I want people to know that this is not just happening to refugees. I am a graduate and I have a Phd. It has happened to a person who is working and who pays tax.' Advertisement

Petitions that attract more than 10,000 in the time period requires a response from the Government.

The petition eclipsed the target within a few hours and by 10am it had surpassed 1m signatures.

It will now be up to the Commons Petition's Committee to decide whether a parliamentary debate on the matter would be appropriate, but its popularity is likely to lead to a debate in the Commons, which could be highly embarrassing for the US President.

David Cameron introduced the e-petition initiative when he entered Downing Street in 2010 in a bid to boost democracy and transparency.

London's Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan also said President Trump should only be invited for a state visit once he lifts his 'shameful' travel ban.

Tory MP James Cartlidge was one of few politicians to defend President Trump's travel ban, saying the bandwagon to stop his state visit 'just ensures a warmer bear hug for him in Moscow'.

He was backed up by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who defended the immigration crackdown and even suggested Britain should follow the President's lead and introduce 'extreme vetting' of incomers.

Mr Javid, the Business Secretary, responded directly at Mr Farage, tweeting: 'Farage is wrong to try and defend US immigration ban. These are not British values.'

Announcing on Friday that the Queen had invited President Trump to make an official state visit to the UK, Mrs May said: 'In a further sign of the importance of that [special] relationship I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the President has accepted that invitation.'

Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators are planning to protest against the ban outside Downing Street and across the country today from 6pm.

Protests are listed to take place in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Cambridge and Birmingham.

A march organised by a coalition of groups, including Stand Up to Racism and the Muslim Council of Britain, is due to begin at the US embassy next Saturday, ending at Downing Street.

Graham Guest, who started the petition in November, told the Press Association he feared Mr Trump would use the state visit and the accompanying photo opportunities with the Queen to bolster his image.

The storm over Donald Trump's Muslim travel ban comes just two days after he and Theresa May were spotted holding hands at one point as they walked around the White House grounds

It would be highly embarrassing for the US President, pictured with Mrs May on Friday, if MPs were given a debate on whether to cancel his state visit to the UK

He said: 'A state visit legitimises his presidency and he will use the photo opportunities and being seen with the Queen to get re-elected.

'The wording in the petition is quite precise as I actually say that he should come here as the head of government to do government to government business.

'At the end of the day he is still the President and we've just got to live with that. But there's no reason why he should get all the pomp and publicity of a state visit.'

Asked why he had launched the petition, Mr Guest, from Leeds, said: 'Anything to make his life more uncomfortable.

'I think a debate in Parliament to ban a state visit would be great as people will have had the chance to air their views on him.

'The petition is really just to make as much noise as possible and put the spotlight on him and what an awful person he is.'

A No 10 spokesman said: 'An invitation was extended and has been accepted.'