Trump UK visit: PM hopeful Sajid Javid refuses to challenge president on Muslim travel ban

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Sajid Javid has refused to say if he will challenge Donald Trump over the US travel ban on nationals from several Muslim-majority countries in the upcoming state visit.

The Conservative leadership hopeful, who would be the first prime minister of Pakistani descent, would not answer when pressed on whether he would raise the issue during meetings with the US president this week.

Mr Trump has already been condemned for "unacceptable interference" in British politics, after he defied diplomatic convention by wading into the Tory leadership race with his praise for Boris Johnson.

Ahead of his arrival in London, the president also said that Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader, should be allowed take part in future negotiations.

Mr Javid said it was unlikely the president would endorse his leadership campaign but he would offer him a warm welcome on the much-anticipated state visit.

Asked if he would raise the Muslim travel ban with Mr Trump, he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "What I would raise with the president and his team is first of all I would welcome him to the UK.

"I think it is great that the president of the US is coming here.

"I'd thank him for the all the cooperation, especially on security that I see day in and day out which saves lives in Britain."

Pressed again, Mr Javid said: "I'd be thanking him for all the US does to help Britain."

Mr Javid, who is one of 13 candidates vying for the leadership, said he would make a "grand offer to Ireland" to pay for the costs of a digitised border if he became prime minister.

"[Ireland] is the tail that wags the dog on this and we need to make sure we can do more to build that good will in Ireland and build their confidence," he said.

The cabinet minister also said he "cannot envisage" any situation where he would seek to delay Brexit but he would not ignore parliament if it forced his hand.

It comes as the government was braced for Mr Trump's state visit on Monday, which is expected to draw major protests in London.

As tensions rose, Sadiq Khan compared the president's rhetoric to "the fascists of the 20th Century".

The mayor of London, who has a long-running feud with Mr Trump, told The Observer: “President Donald Trump is just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat.

"The far right is on the rise around the world, threatening our hard-won rights and freedoms and the values that have defined our liberal, democratic societies for more than 70 years.

“Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Matteo Salvini in Italy, Marine Le Pen in France and Nigel Farage here in the UK are using the same divisive tropes of the fascists of the 20th century to garner support, but with new sinister methods to deliver their message.

"And they are gaining ground and winning power and influence in places that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.”