Trump today - as it happened: African nations demand US President apologises for 's***hole remarks'

Republican says he will not be coming to the UK amid criticism of his alleged comments about Haiti and other countries

Trump referred to Haitians and Africans as coming from ‘s***hole countries’

Donald Trump was embroiled in a row extending half-way around the world after reportedly using the term “shithole countries” to describe Haiti, El Salvador and unspecified African nations in a White House meeting about immigration.

Seeking to limit the fallout from the reported comments, the US President described his language as “tough” but denied using a vulgar slur.

The controversy came as he announced he was cancelling his visit to the UK and will now not be travelling London as expected to open the new US embassy next month.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said the US President had backed down in the face of huge public opposition in Britain and the likelihood of widespread protests.

Mr Trump is quoted as having asked: “Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?"

The Republican said he had cancelled his London visit because of his opposition to the decision to move the US Embassy from Mayfair to Battersea.

MPs did not rush to express their disappointment, with many suggesting the real reason for the cancellation was British public opposition to the visit.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote in a tweet to Mr Trump: "It's because nobody wanted you to come. And you got the message."

Key Points

Donald Trump cancels planned trip to UK, citing embassy move

[12 January 2018 13:30 · Kristin Hugo]

Well this is awkward. The US Ambassador to the UK has written an opinion piece for the Evening Standard highlighting the benefits of moving the country's embassy in London - hours after Donald Trump said the move was a "bad deal' and the basis of his refusal to visit the UK.

Robert Johnson said the new building is "bigger and better" than the previous one.

Read his piece here:

[12 January 2018 14:49 · Adam Withnall]

CNN's Jake Tapper has provided what he says is more background from a source "familiar with the meeting" where Donald Trump is reported to have referred to "s***hole countries". 

He says the phrase has been conflated with derogatory comments the President made about Haitians, but that he did use the phrase in reference to people coming from African countries.

[12 January 2018 14:50 · Adam Withnall]

Donald Trump in fact "repeatedly" used the phrase "s***hole countries" in an immigration debate, a Democrat Senator who was in the White House meeting has said. 

[12 January 2018 15:17 · Kristin Hugo]

As we reported earlier, a UN spokesman condemned Donald Trump's reported comments in unusually strong terms.

Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the US President's alleged remarks were "shocking and shameful". 

Here's Mr Colville's response in full:

"I'm sorry, but there's no other word one can use but 'racist.

You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as 's***holes', whose entire populations are not white are therefore not welcome.

The positive comment on Norway makes the underlying sentiment very clear.

Like the earlier comments made vilifying Mexicans and Muslims, the policy proposals targeting entire groups on grounds of nationality or religion, and the reluctance to clearly condemn the antisemitic and racist actions of the white supremacists in Charlottesville, all of these go against the universal values the world has been striving so hard to establish since World War Two and the Holocaust.

This isn't just a story about vulgar language, it's about opening the door to humanity's worst side.

It's about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia that will potentially disrupt and even destroy the lives of many people, and that's perhaps the single most damaging and dangerous consequence of this type of comment by a major political figure."

[12 January 2018 15:18 · Kristin Hugo]

Further denials from Mr Trump...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951813216291708928

[12 January 2018 15:28 · Kristin Hugo]

Boris Johnson launched a scathing attack earlier today on Sadiq Khan, his successor as London Mayor, who he called a "puffed up pompous popinjay".

Were those words familiar? They might be if you're a Harry Potter fan. Eagle-eyed Sky News Political Editor Faisal Islam has spotted that, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Phineas Nigellus calls Harry a "poor puffed up popinjay". Who knew the Foreign Secretary was such a JK Rowling fan...

https://twitter.com/jrmaidment/status/951829725068103680

[12 January 2018 15:39 · Kristin Hugo]

An interesting bit of insight from CNN's Kaitlan Collins...

[12 January 2018 16:20 · Kristin Hugo]

It's all getting a bit weird down in South London... In an act of spectacular trolling, Madame Tussauds has erected a waxwork of Donald Trump outside the site of the new US embassy in Battersea.

However, it seems to be causing a bit of trouble as people gather to see what is going on. Sky's Tom Rayner says armed police have now asked for the waxwork to be moved...

[12 January 2018 16:21 · Kristin Hugo]

Breaking...

The USambassador to Panama has resigned, saying he can no longer serve under Donald Trump. More on that to follow...

[12 January 2018 16:24 · Kristin Hugo]

More on that story as John Feeley resigns saying: "As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies. My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come."