Smith defends UK ban on radio host

The home secretary has defended her decision to ban a controversial US radio host from entering the UK.

Speaking during Home Office questions, Jacqui Smith insisted she was right to stop Michael Savage from entering the country.

Savage, who hosts the Savage Nation radio show, has threatened legal action against the government following the decision to refuse him access to the UK.

In the Commons, Michael Fabricant (Con, Lichfield) criticised Smith's ban as "ludicrous".

"Do you realise the disrepute you have put this country in the eyes of many right-seeing people, and left-seeing people, in the US?"

But Smith replied: "Frankly if you believe it is appropriate to use words about Muslims like 'I said so kill 100 million of them then there would be 900 million of them, I mean would you rather us die than them?' then you have a different set of values than I have and I want to make sure that those are implemented into the decisions we make about who we do and do not allow into this country."

And she insisted that "where people preach hate, where they foment hatred in the way in which has happened here, where they provoke others to serious violence... it is right we should express our view about that".

"Coming to this country is a privilege and we will express our values in those we exclude," Smith added.