Julien Blanc: Labour urges Theresa May to ban controversial pickup artist

American 'dating expert' has attracted worldwide condemnation

Nearly 120,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Julien Blanc to be banned from visiting Britain (Youtube)

Labour has challenged Theresa May, the Home Secretary, to ban a controversial American “dating guru” from visiting Britain.

Almost 120,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Julien Blanc, who has been accused of advocating violence against women, from being issued with a visa. He is due to appear in London on 27 November.

Mr Blanc has attracted widespread criticism for holding “dating seminars”, which suggest men harass and abuse women - including by choking them – as a way of attracting them.

Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary said: “It is important that respect for the laws on sexual assault and violence are upheld and that we send a clear message from Britain about zero tolerance of violence against women and girls”.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, she urged Ms May to ensure officials “urgently review this evidence and gather further evidence about his activities, with a view to exercising your exclusion powers to prevent him coming to the UK”.

Mr Blanc was last month forced to leave Australia early when his visa was cancelled.