A motion asking Wandsworth Council to denounce Donald Trump’s controversial immigration order was denied last night.

The US president signed an order last Friday (January 27) suspending the refugee system for 120 and banning anyone from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering America for 90 days, regardless of whether they had a visa or not.

Labour put forward a motion at the council meeting on Wednesday (February 2) calling on council leader Ravi Govindia to write a joint letter of protest with Wandsworth Labour leader Simon Hogg to the US Ambassador setting out the Council’s opposition to the ban.

See related: Wandsworth Labour to call on council to denounce US immigration order by President Donald Trump as 'act of discrimination'

The newly-elected councillor for Queenstown, Aydin Dikerdem, made a speech outlining the reasons for the motion.

He said "acts of discrimination" like the ban had a global impact, including in Wandsworth.

Cllr Dikerdem said: "We have over 4,000 residents who directly originate from the seven countries Trump has targeted.

"In Queenstown, we have a large Somali community that has made Battersea its home. 

"We must recognise how it must feel, to have one's identity labelled and demonised in this way – the humiliation, the sense of injustice, the insecurity."

To finish, he said: "We in Wandsworth can and should, lend our voice to the chorus taking off across the country and further.”

However, the motion was denied by the council.

Cllr Ravi Govindia said: "I share the distress caused by Mr Trump's divisive and ill-conceived policy.

"Sadly, across the world there are many political leaders who, like Mr Trump, pass deeply unjust laws and persecute people based on their faith.

"This is clearly wrong but it is not the role of local councils to hold foreign governments to account and our residents understand that our attention is focussed on the services they pay us to deliver."

Councillor Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Labour leader, said: "I was disappointed that the Tories voted against any criticism of this awful policy from President Trump.

"We should listen to the thousands of local people who've said how upset they are by the travel ban.

"I think the council should stand up for local people."                                           

Independent councillor for the Shaftesbury ward, James Cousins, said the council "failed to show leadership" with the decision to deny the motion.

He said: "I know the council leader is not in the most secure position and there may be good short-term politics in avoiding a stance some of his members will not support.

"But this is one of those issues on which the right thing might not be easy- it might not be business as usual- but it should be done."

Although Prime Minister Theresa May is standing by her decision to allow Trump to come to Britain on a state visit, she called Trump’s ban "divisive and wrong" in the House of Commons yesterday (February 1).

She also denied she had advance warning of the order, which the US president signed after meeting with the PM in Washington.

However, Mrs May did say everyone was warned some "travel restrictions" would be put in place because Trump had said so during his campaign.

President Trump’s 90-day ban involves citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.