Theresa May vows to 'stand up' to Trump and protect dignity of ALL British citizens if he goes ahead with plan to ban Muslims from entering the US

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Theresa May vowed to stand up to Donald Trump if he goes ahead with his election campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US.

She said she would 'ensure the dignity of our citizens' in response to questions from MPs demanding she stands up to the President-elect over his immigration policy.

Downing Street suggested the Prime Minister and her aides will attempt to persuade Mr Trump to ditch the controversial pledge before he enters the White House in January.

But Mrs May's response was branded 'shameful' by shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, who accused the Prime Minister of failing to condemn Mr Trump. 

Theresa May, pictured at Prime Minister's Questions today, vowed to fight Donald Trump if he goes ahead with his election campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US

At Prime Minister's Questions today in the Commons, SNP MP Tommy Shepherd demanded she stands up to Mr Trump to 'respect the dignity of all of our citizens, irrespective of their race and religion'.

The Prime Minister responded: 'The special relationship we have with the United States is very important – I think for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

'We will be continuing to build on that special relationship – that was very clear with the conversations I had with President-elect Trump shortly after his election as President-elect. 

'But we of course want to ensure the dignity of our citizens. It is up to the United States what rules they put into place in terms of entry across their borders. But we will be ensuring that special relationship continues – and continues in the interests of both the UK and the US.'

The Prime Minister's spokesperson suggested later today that Mrs May and her aides will attempt to persuade Mr Trump and his team to ditch the pledge in the coming weeks. 

Donald Trump, pictured giving his victory speech last week, was still the outsider for the Republican nomination when he shocked the world in December last year when he called for a 'total and complete shutdown' to Muslim immigration to the US

Mrs May's response was branded 'shameful' by shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, who accused the Prime Minister of failing to condemn Mr Trump

Asked what Mrs May would do to 'ensure the dignity' of British Muslims, the PM's spokeswoman said: 'Let's wait until the President-elect takes office; we will be engaging with his team in the transition period and when they take office to make sure that we're standing up for British values.' 

There are doubts over whether the Republican President-elect will follow through on his pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US after the policy temporarily disappeared from his campaign website. It reappeared shortly afterwards.

The then outsider for the Republican nomination shocked the world in December last year when he called for a 'total and complete shutdown' to Muslim immigration to the US.

It came in the wake of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, where a Islamic extremist killed 14 people. Mr Trump called for a ban on Muslim immigratants 'until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.'

It drew angry reactions in Britain, where MPs even debated a motion to ban Mr Trump from entering the UK. 

Mrs May, then the home secretary, described Mr Trump's plan as 'plain wrong,' while Boris Johnson branded him 'unfit' to be President.