World number one Luke Littler survived a first-round scare in the World Series of Darts Finals before recovering from 3-1 down to beat Dutchman Danny Nopport 6-4.

Faced with a partisan crowd in Amsterdam, the 19-year-old reigning world champion lost three legs in succession but the turning point came after his opponent made a mess of a 44 checkout, allowing the Englishman to level things up at 3-3.

Littler let out a huge roar and put his hands to his ears as he was booed and repeated that reaction when, with the score at 4-4, he produced a 95 checkout to edge ahead again to put him within sight of victory.

He now faces compatriot Nathan Aspinall, a 6-4 winner against Raymond Smith, while former World Series Final winner Gerwyn Price, who almost blew a 5-0 lead before eventually winning 6-4 against Brody Klinge, will take on Jim Long after his a last-leg victory over Adam Leek.

Motomu Sakai beat Callan Rydz by the same score as did James Wade against Damon Heta.

Denmark has handed over permanent control of Greenland’s security to the United States, President Donald Trump has claimed.

The president has made taking control over the territory a cornerstone of his second term in office, and in a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump claimed his efforts were successful.

He said the US has entered into an agreement with Denmark to give the US ‘permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many US concerns.’

‘At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States of America,’ Trump wrote, calling it an ‘infinite life’ agreement.

‘Additionally, from now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,’ he claimed.

The US will now ‘immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many’ and will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction. 

It will not cost the US anything, Trump insisted, as a senior official told Fox News the deal would even remain in effect if Greenland were to ever become an independent country.

‘This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies,’ he wrote.

Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance tour a US military base in Greenland in March last year. Their tour came amid the President’s push to acquire the island

Trump has framed his push to acquire the island as a national security imperative

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‘We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,’ the president continued. ‘We will be very protective of it!’

‘This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special,’ he concluded. 

Under the deal, Denmark and Greenland would no longer have to approve any new US military installations on the island, according to Fox News.

But the deal only allows the US and its allies to make ‘sensitive investments’ on the territory, including telecommunications infrastructure, undersea capabilities, ports and critical minerals.

The deal also falls short of ceding control of the territory to the US.

It comes just months after Trump threatened that US forces could be used to take control of the island, which the president has expressed interest in for years. 

The announcement comes after months of closed-door negotiations between US, Danish and Greenland officials that focused on allowing American troops to stay on the island indefinitely, cooperation on extracting the island’s rich natural resources like rare earths and oil and the possible re-opening of a Second World War-era US military base on the southern coast.

Trump has framed his push to acquire the island as a national security imperative, citing Greenland’s strategic position in the Arctic and China’s and Russia’s ambitions to expand their presence in the region.

Northern Command boss General Gregory M Guillot has noted how Greenland could host part of an array of radar stations in the Arctic that includes outposts in Alaska and Canada. 

He has also said that the US seeks a deepwater port and a base for US special forces on the island.

Trump first floated the idea of bringing Greenland into the US sphere of influence during his first term in 2019. 

Since returning to the office, he has repeatedly doubled down on that. 

Yet  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended the president for reaching the agreement.

‘This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people,’ he said in a statement to Fox News. 

‘Thanks to President Trump’s vision and leadership, this historic agreement permanently guarantees US security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the US taxpayer,’ Rubio noted. ‘Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversaries from it and the surrounding area.’

‘This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland,’ he added. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

In a speech to the European Parliament, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney declared that “Europe and Canada are stronger together”. He also backed an offer made by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, one day earlier for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the bloc.

“Canada welcomes this ambition,” he said. “An alliance for the future is a unique, positive approach that we will define together.” But what might associate membership look like, how significant is von der Leyen’s offer in the history of the EU’s relations with external states, and how likely is it to come into being?

Canada already has a preferential trade deal with the EU in the form of the 2016 Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta). This type of free-trade agreement is typical of the sort of legal instrument used by the EU to manage relations with its main international partners.

But one way in which the EU could upgrade Ottawa’s relations with Brussels would be to look to the template of the “association agreements” the EU uses to bring neighbouring countries into closer alignment with its policies and programmes.

These association agreements have been a stepping stone to full EU membership for countries like Greece and Portugal. Current candidates for EU accession, including Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, also all have association agreements with the EU that facilitate the process by which they meet the rules and standards required for EU membership.

Other countries like Norway and Iceland have rejected full EU membership. But their association agreement with the EU – the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement – nonetheless grants them access to the European single market in return for alignment with EU regulations.

Ottawa is not about to engage in a process of regulatory alignment with the EU as if it were preparing for membership. EU law is clear that only “European” states can join the bloc. Currently, Canada’s trade with the US also vastly outstrips its trade with the EU.

Weakening its position relative to its primary market would have much the same effect for Canada as Brexit had for the UK, albeit by aligning with the EU rather than seeking autonomy from it. Nonetheless, Brexit may be instructive here.

Driven by the Boris Johnson administration’s desire for a trade deal with the EU modelled on Ceta, the 2021 EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is substantively a preferential trade deal cloaked in the legal form of an association agreement.

For the EU, this allows its future relationship with the UK to evolve over time. Enclosing Ceta within the legal wrapper of an association agreement could likewise allow Canada and the EU to strengthen their areas of non-trade cooperation without EU membership and regulatory alignment.

First associate member

The really surprising aspect of von der Leyen’s offer is the idea that Canada would be the EU’s “first” associate member, implying a new legal category. This would be unusual for a highly legalistic bureaucracy that has long preferred the routine application of familiar legal formats.

That said, the proposal is not entirely new. The idea of associate membership gained some traction in the early 2000s around a proposed replacement of the EU’s founding treaties with a single treaty, creating a “Constitution for Europe”.

As this constitution was being drafted, a proposal emerged to create an associate membership status for states that wanted to keep a close relationship with the EU but without accepting the obligations of full EU membership. The proposal did not get off the ground, and the constitution failed when put to referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

Carving out a new legal status of associate membership would entail treaty change, and that comes with significant hurdles. Unanimity among existing EU member states is needed for an amendment to pass.

The range of potential domestic veto players is also extensive. As Canada has discovered, ratification of Ceta is not yet complete in ten EU countries, even a decade on from its signature.

Aside from the legal hurdles, there may also be political pushback against giving Canada associated EU status. Countries currently in accession talks may fear that their drive towards full membership will instead be parked in associate status.

With Russia continuing to oppose Ukraine’s EU membership, for example, granting Ukraine associate membership could be a neat diplomatic solution. But it is one that could disappoint those for whom EU membership is the real prize.

For states like Norway, Iceland and the UK that do not have EU membership in their sights, an associate status could facilitate closer European cooperation without stirring up popular resistance to full European integration.

But for Iceland and Norway, such an arrangement would disturb their existing EEA framework with the EU. The UK’s TCA, on the other hand, allows future cooperation with the EU to be absorbed within its framework. Joining Canada in an outer circle of associate states would need to have demonstrable benefits.

Other international forums – the G7, Nato and the recently formed European Political Community – create opportunities for Canada and the EU to strengthen their alliance but outside of the framework of EU institutions and treaties.

Creating a category of associate membership might seem like a solution in search of a problem.

Daniel Gravell denies indecent assault and three counts of rape

A teenager allegedly raped outside a rugby club desperately tried to get by tapping on a window and then mouthing the word “help”, a court has heard.

The woman is one of three females who accuse former teacher and hotel manager Daniel Gravell of raping them in separate incidents over a 20-year period – accusations the 44-year-old denies.

Gravell is alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted a woman at his home in Carmarthenshire in 2001, to have raped a different woman in a “secluded spot” behind the Carmarthen Athletic rugby clubhouse in 2005, and to have raped a third woman in the Baltic Hotel in Pontyates in 2021.

The defendant, of Porth-y-Plas, Johnstown, Carmarthen, denies all the allegations saying the 2001 incident “simply never happened” and that the 2005 and 2021 incidents were consensual.

On Friday the alleged victim in the 2005 incident appeared in the witness box to give evidence. The jury also watched a recorded police interview with the alleged victim in the 2011 incident. You can read our coverage of the day’s proceedings – which started with a juror being discharged – here.

Here are the key moments from day four of the trial:

• The alleged victim in the 2005 in incident told the jury that Gravell approached her outside the Rose and Crown pub in Carmarthen town centre claiming to know her father. She said he then took her by the arm and pulled her down an alley to a spot near the Carmarthen Athletic RFC clubhouse where he raped her

• The woman said as she was being taken past a window, Gravell pushed her head down so she wouldn’t be seen. She said tried to tap on the window it to get help, saying she knew the window was her “last chance”

• The complainant also said that while Gravell was attacking her a woman walked past and she tried to raise the alarm by mouthing the word “help”. She said she didn’t say the word out loud as she didn’t want Gravell to know what she was doing

• Defence barrister Julia Flangan pointed out that the woman had not mentioned anything about tapping on the window or trying to get help from a passer-by in her original police statement. The barrister accused the witness of “embellishing” her account

• The defence barrister put it to the witness that she had voluntarily gone to the Athletic clubhouse with Gravell and engaged in consensual activity with him there – the witness denied that saying: “I would never choose to do that in a public place”

• The jury also saw the videoed interview with the woman in the 2021 allegation. In her interview the woman described how Gravell was a “random” person on Facebook who started messaging her, and she said they agreed to meet for coffee but he instead drove her to the Baltic Hotel which he claimed to own

• The woman said Gravell showed her around the hotel then took her to one of its rooms, and she said she he was “smug” and she was getting a “freaky vibe” from him. The woman said that Gravell locked the door to the bedroom and then raped her, saying the “horrible” grunting noises he made during the attack have stuck in her mind

The defendant denies one count of indecent assault and three counts of rape, and the trial continues.

Some people who waited over an hour and a half were sent away without seeing the famous embroidery

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Thousands of visitors who were waiting to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum were left disappointed as the major landmark was evacuated.

According to the London Fire Brigade, reports of smoke were made at around 7.27pm this evening (September 18), prompting fears of a fire.

The smoke was in one of the galleries, not believed to house the Bayeux Tapestry, but prompted fire alarms to be set of and the site being evacuated, reports the Daily Star.

The London Fire Brigade believe the smoke was coming from an “overheating light” as nearly around 3,700 people were forced to leave. The all clear was given an hour later once fire crews had inspected the building.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “Crews carried out a systematic search of the building to identify the source of the smoke, which is believed to have been caused by an overheating light.

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“Around 3,700 people evacuated the building before firefighters arrived. The incident was over for firefighters at 19.27pm, when responsibility for the site was handed back to the building’s management team.”

Many visitors had reportedly waited two hours to enter the British Museum today with Bayeux Tapestry bringing in more numbers than usual.

Many took to social media to voice their disappointment and the unfortunate incident.

One wrote: “Hope everyone’s ok @britishmuseum after the evacuation for a fire alarm. Disappointing for those of who spent an hour and forty minutes after our ticketed time queuing to see the Bayeux Tapestry to get to reach it, and then were told to leave”

Another said: “1.5hrs in a queue and now just evacuated from Bayeux Tapestry & British Museum. Soo upset!!”

A third said: “I was at the British Museum when they started shouting “Emergency!” and “Fire!” and hustled us all outside…!!”

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She will appear on the popular BBC dancing show alongside 14 other celebrities, all hoping to impress the viewers and judges Shirley Ballas, Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke.

The full line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 features:

• Dame Sarah Storey (Britain’s most successful Paralympian)
• Lacey Turner (EastEnders’ Stacey Slater)
• Dani Dyer (TV personality – returning after injury in 2025)
• Delta Goodrem (Australian singer)
• Chris Appleton (Hair stylist)
• Cach Mercer (Reality TV star)
• Will Best (TV and radio host)
• Dame Sarah Storey (Britain’s most successful Paralympian)
• Jaime Winstone (actress)
• Bethany Antonia (actress)
• Shaun Wright-Phillips (former professional footballer)
• Graeme Hall (famous dog trainer)
• Lawrence Robb (Emmerdale’s Mackenzie Boyd)
• Tabby Stoecker (Team GB skeleton athlete)
• John Nellis (football content creator)
• Melanie Walters (Gavin and Stacey star)

What disability does Dame Sarah Storey have?

Dame Sarah was born without a functioning left hand.

But she hasn’t let that stop her, going on to become Britain’s most successful Paralympian, competing in swimming and cycling over a career spanning more than three decades.

How many medals has Dame Sarah Storey won?

Dame Sarah made her Paralympic debut aged 14 at the 1992 Games in Barcelona as a swimmer.

In her debut Games, she won two gold, three silver and a bronze medal.

She continued competing in the pool at three further Paralympic Games before changing to cycling in 2005.

Dame Sarah Storey has never lost in cycling at the Paralympics.

Just let that sink in.

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇#Paris2024 #Paralympics #IAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/5PlJoZf3Lh

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— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 6, 2024

Dame Sarah has also competed in, and won, able-bodied cycling races.

She took part in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games on the track and was part of the Great Britain Team Pursuit team before the London 2012 Games.

Dame Sarah has competed at nine Paralympic Games and has won 30 medals.

Her total includes 19 gold medals, making her the most successful ParalympicsGB athlete.

Dame Sarah Storey’s Paralympics medal tally

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

• C4-C5 Road Race: Gold
• C5 Road Time Trial: Gold

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

• C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
• C4-C5 Road Race: Gold
• C5 Road Time Trial: Gold

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

• C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
• C4-C5Time Trial: Gold
• C5 Road Race: Gold

London 2012 Paralympic Games

• C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
• C4-5 500m Time Trial: Gold
• C4-5 Road Race: Gold
• C5 Individual Time Trial (road): Gold

Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

• LC1-2/CP4 individual pursuit: Gold
• LC1/LC2/CP4 time trial: Gold

Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

• 100m freestyle S10: Bronze
• 100m breaststroke SB9: Silver
• 200m individual medley SM10: Silver

Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

• 100m backstroke S10: Silver
• 4x100m medley relay SM10: Silver

Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

• 200m individual medley SM10: Gold
• 100m breaststroke SB10: Gold
• 100m backstroke S10: Gold
• 400m freestyle S10: Silver
• 100m freestyle S10: Bronze

Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

• 100m backstroke S10: Gold
• 200m individual medley SM10: Gold
• 400m freestyle S10: Silver
• 4x100m freestyle relay S7-10: Silver
• 100m freestyle S10: Bronze
• 4x100m medley relay S7-10: Silver

Dame Sarah Storey has won a total of 30 Paralympic Game medals. (Image: PA)

World Championships medal tally

Dame Sarah has also won medals at World Championship events for both cycling and swimming throughout her career:

2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Maniago (Italy)

• Time trial: Gold
• Road Race: Gold

2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Montichiari, Italy

• Individual Pursuit: Gold
• 500m time trial: Silver
• Scratch race: Silver

2015 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Apeldoorn, Netherlands

• 500m time trial: Gold
• Individual Pursuit: Gold

2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Nottwil, Switzerland

• Time trial: Gold
• Road Race: Gold

2014 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Greenville, USA

• Time trial: Gold
• Road race: Gold

2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Aguascalientes, Mexico

• Individual pursuit: Gold
• Scratch race: Gold
• 500m Time Trial: Bronze

2012 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Los Angeles, USA

• 500m Time trial: Gold
• Individual pursuit: Gold
• Team Sprint: Silver

2011 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Roskilde, Denmark

• Time Trial: Gold
• Road Race: Gold

2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Montichiari, Italy

• Individual Pursuit: Gold
• 500m Time Trial: Gold

2010 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Baie-Comeau, Canada

• Road race: Gold
• Time trial: Gold

2009 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Manchester, UK

• Individual Pursuit: Gold
• Time Trial: Gold

2009 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Bogogno, Italy

• Road Race: Gold
• Time trial: Gold

2007 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Bordeaux, France

• Individual Pursuit: Gold
• 500m Time Trial: Bronze

2006 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Aigle, Switzerland

• Road Race: Silver
• Time Trial: Silver

2005 Para-cycling European Championships, Alkmaar, Denmark

• Individual Pursuit: Gold
• 500m Time Trial: Gold
• Road Race: Gold
• Time Trial: Silver

2002 IPC World Swimming Championships, Mar del Plata, Argentina

• S10 50m Freestyle: Bronze
• S10 400m Freestyle: Gold
• SM10 Individual Medley: Gold
• S10 100m Freestyle: Gold

1998 IPC World Swimming Championships, Christchurch, New Zealand

• 4x100m Freestyle: Bronze
• S10 400m Freestyle: Bronze
• SM10 200m Individual Medley: Bronze
• 4x100m Medley: Silver
• S10 100m Backstroke: Silver

1994 IPC World Swimming Championships, Malta

• S10 400m Freestyle relay: Gold
• SM10 200m Individual medley: Silver
• S10 100m Backstroke: Silver
• 4x100m Freestyle relay: Gold

Dame Sarah Storey’s home and family

Dame Sarah lives in Disley, Cheshire, with her husband, Barney, and their two children, Louisa and Charlie.

Disley is a village on the edge of the Peak District in the Goyt Valley. It had a population of around 4,000 people in the 2011 census.

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Ask residents where to find wine, sharing boards and good company, and many will point you to Rose & Potter in Marske.

The family-run wine bar, bistro and deli has earned a loyal following since opening in 2017, offering something a little different from the traditional restaurant experience.

Rose & Potter in Marske. (Image: Newsquest)

After finding inspiration at a Christmas market in Budapest, the owners created a welcoming venue built around quality food, carefully chosen drinks and a cosy atmosphere.

At a time when micro-bars were only just beginning to emerge, Rose & Potter carved out their own vision for the business.

They chose a casual space where customers could enjoy exceptional produce in comfortable surroundings rather than formal dining.

Rose & Potter also runs the Cleveland Way Charcuterie brand, making its own cured meats from ethically sourced ingredients from the Cleveland Way and North Yorkshire before curing them in-house.

The Rose & Potter staple charcuterie board. (Image: Newsquest)

Customer favourites include the house charcuterie boards, as well as cheeseboards, seafood platters and hearty sharing boards loaded with artisan meats, cheeses and accompaniments.

For those looking for something lighter, the menu features Mediterranean mezze, Greek salads, baked Camembert, smoked mackerel pâté and locally made Scotch eggs, all designed to pair perfectly with a glass of wine.

The Rose & Potter’s homemade hummus. (Image: Newsquest)

Made-to-order sandwiches, wraps and baked potatoes are also available at selected times, making the deli an all-day destination.

Wine is at the heart of the business, with carefully selected bottles from across Europe, including those from Spanish producer Cellar Espelt, thanks to a long-standing friendship with its UK importer.

Rose & Potter are known for their cocktails as well as their charcuterie boards. (Image: Newsquest)

The drinks menu also features a series of cocktails, pairing classics such as espresso martinis, margaritas and Aperol spritzes with house specials including a Marzipan Old Fashioned, African Martini and Nuts & Berries.

Walk-ins are welcome whenever space allows, whether customers are stopping by for a sharing platter and wine or enjoying a few cocktails with friends.

Nearly a decade on, Rose & Potter continues to prioritise quality ingredients, ethical sourcing and warm hospitality, making it one of East Cleveland’s standout independent food and drink venues.

US President Donald Trump has announced that he is “immediately” banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the latest twist in his fraught relationship with media outlets.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that the outlets “constantly write or report fiction or lies” about his administration, although he provided no examples.

Trump later called it a “very simple ban”, but did not explain how it would work. It is unclear whether employees of those outlets would be prevented from entering the White House grounds.

CNN swiftly slammed the move as an “illegal assault” on American press freedoms. The move by Trump is likely to be met with legal challenges.

Reporters from both Politico and CNN were still on the White House grounds shortly after the announcement was made.

A crew from CNN was also travelling with Vice-President JD Vance to and from an event in Iowa.

In a statement, the network called a potential ban illegal and said it “stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting.”

“We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” the CNN statement said. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”

The BBC has contacted Politico and MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, which have not released statements.

In his post Trump said: “Media outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration or the United States of America. Other news outlets to follow.”

The post did not mention specific stories or reporting that led to the move.

Asked about the ban in the Oval Office, Trump said that there was “no reason” for the announcement being made on Friday afternoon.

“It’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years,” he said. “You get sick of it.”

Trump added that there “may be others to join them”, but did not name any specific news outlets.

He also acknowledged that legal challenges may follow his announcement.

“I think it’s good to point it out, whether it survives or doesn’t,” he added. “To be honest with you, I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day.”

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump and administration officials have repeatedly clashed with members of the White House press corps.

In February, the White House announced that it was taking control of the press pool which has access to Trump and had for more than a century been managed by the White House Correspondent’s Association.

The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press (AP) reporters and photographers from spaces where access is limited, such as the Oval Office or Air Force One, because of the outlet’s usage of the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”.

The Associated Press swiftly filed a lawsuit and the case remains ongoing.

The president often clashes with reporters in the Oval Office on Air Force One and during White House events, often referring to them as “fake news” and “rude”.

In his first term, Trump also banned CNN correspondent Jim Acosta from the White House, although they restored his credentials after CNN sued.

The announcement was immediately criticised by leading advocacy organisations for freedom of the press.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said that “with so many courts having ruled against him on exactly this point, you’d think President Trump would have learned this lesson by now”.

“If President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a ‘public forum’ under the First Amendment, which means the president can’t exclude journalists from it on the basis of their viewpoints,” the institute’s executive director, Jameel Jaffer, said.

A major group that provides legal services to the media – the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press – said it expects Trump’s ban to be quickly struck down by the courts because it is “flatly unconstitutional”.

“The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting,” said the group’s president Bruce Brown, calling the potential ban “textbook viewpoint discrimination.”

The Freedom of the Press Foundation also said it was illegal, adding: “It’s also hard to imagine a dumber move.”

Trump “has been retaliating against the press for years, but it hasn’t helped him,” it said, saying “these outrageous attacks only demonstrate how scared he is of an informed public”.

Trump has pursued legal action against a number of US and international news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the BBC.

Some of the lawsuits have resulted in media organisations agreeing to pay multimillion dollar settlements. Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC is ongoing.