This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/25/trump-and-may-discuss-uk-visit-later-this-year-davos

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Donald Trump makes plans with Theresa May for UK visit 'later this year' Theresa May risks unrest by paving way for Donald Trump visit
(about 1 hour later)
After meeting at Davos, US president and British PM ask officials to finalise details of visit Prime minister orders officials to make plans for visit by the US president later this year after pair meet at Davos
Larry Elliott in Davos and
Peter WalkerPeter Walker
Thu 25 Jan 2018 18.39 GMT Thu 25 Jan 2018 19.37 GMT
First published on Thu 25 Jan 2018 16.42 GMTFirst published on Thu 25 Jan 2018 16.42 GMT
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
View more sharing optionsView more sharing options
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
CloseClose
Donald Trump is set to visit the UK later this year, Downing Street has said, after the US president and Theresa May met in Davos and directed officials to work out details of the trip. Theresa May has taken the gamble of inviting Donald Trump to make his controversial visit to Britain later this year after a meeting between the prime minister and the US president at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
News of Trump’s planned visit, which has been delayed several times, was immediately met with calls on social media for demonstrations during the trip. The move followed a 15-minute meeting between the two leaders in which the president promised the US would always “be there” for Britain, assured May “we love your country” and said that they “like each other a lot”.
The decision was made as the pair met at the World Economic Forum. A No 10 description of the talks at the Swiss resort said: “The PM and president concluded by asking officials to work together on finalising the details of a visit by the president to the UK later this year.” A senior UK government source said the visit was expected to take place in the second half of this year, after the pair meet again at the Nato summit in Brussels in July.
The statement did not say whether this would be a standard trip, or the full state visit offered to Trump when May visited him in Washington shortly after his inauguration last year. Downing Street declined to say what sort of visit was being planned. A Downing Street source said both the UK and US were planning for a working visit. This pushes the prospect of Trump’s state visit ever further into the future, and raises the possibility that it might never happen.
The state visit, which would involve extensive ceremony and mean that Trump would stay at Buckingham Palace, had been put off, reportedly due to concerns from the president and his team that it would be met by demonstrations. Either way, the detailed planning that must now get under way will include calculating the scale of the security operation that will be needed. There has been speculation that Trump’s visit will lead to the biggest protests since the anti-war demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003.
After May criticised Trump in November for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-right group Britain First, the relationship had been painted as rocky. May invited Trump to a state visit within days of him being sworn in as president, but Downing Street had appeared to want to postpone the invitation after Trump responded angrily to May’s criticism of him in November for re-tweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-right group Britain First.
But, earlier on Thursday, Trump sought to portray the pair as close allies, saying they had “a really great relationship”, adding: “I have tremendous respect for the prime minister and the job she’s doing. And I think the feeling is mutual from the standpoint of liking each other a lot.” US presidents usually have to wait several years at least before being invited to make a state visit, which includes a ceremonial welcome by the Queen on Horse Guards Parade, the inspection of a guard of honour, a drive down the Mall in a carriage and a Buckingham Palace banquet.
In an apparent reference to interpretations of May’s criticism after he retweeted the Britain First propaganda, he said: “That was a little bit of false rumour out there … we love your country because it’s truly great.” Earlier this month, Trump called off a planned trip to London in February to open the new US embassy. The decision was believed to have been made because of the prospect of protests, but Trump claimed on Twitter that he had cancelled the visit because of his displeasure at Barack Obama for selling the old embassy in Grosvenor Square for “peanuts” and building a replacement “in an off location “ in Nine Elms, south London. “Bad deal” he tweeted. In fact, the planned move began when George W Bush was president.
Trump had been due to come to London this month to open the new US embassy but this was also cancelled. At Davos, the US president put May at the top of the list for his bilateral talks after flying in from the US overnight and rejected the idea that relations between Washington and London had been soured.
The decision was believed to have been made because of the prospect of protests, but Trump claimed he had decided to not come because of his displeasure at Barack Obama having sold the old embassy in Grosvenor Square for “peanuts”. In fact, the planned move to Wandsworth began when George W Bush was still president. Sitting next to the prime minister, Trump said it was “a false rumour” that there was tension in the US-UK relationship. “We’re on the same wavelength in, I think, every respect,” he said.
Downing Street has been pushing for a visit by Trump despite worries at the reception he could receive. The government hopes closer ties with the White House will improve the prospects of a more rapid UK-US trade deal after Brexit. Looking directly at the prime minister, Trump said there was nothing that would happen where the US would not be there for Britain.
However, Trump’s erratic behaviour, nationalist approach and support from the racist far-right have resulted in promises by numerous groups to protest if he visited the UK, with the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, among those calling for demonstrations. He said that the pair had “a really great relationship”, adding: “I have tremendous respect for the prime minister and the job she’s doing. And I think the feeling is mutual from the standpoint of liking each other a lot.”
Before the talks in Davos, May and Trump both played down any tensions. The bilateral relationship was “strong as it ever has been”, May told the BBC. As the pair faced the cameras, Trump said: “We’re on the same wavelength in I think in every respect.” After the meeting, Trump tweeted that the talks had been “great”.
After the meeting, he tweeted that the talks had been “great”.
Great bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom, affirming the special relationship and our commitment to work together on key national security challenges and economic opportunities. #WEF18 pic.twitter.com/FPP8aRDAytGreat bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom, affirming the special relationship and our commitment to work together on key national security challenges and economic opportunities. #WEF18 pic.twitter.com/FPP8aRDAyt
Downing Street said the pair discussed the situation with Bombardier, the aviation firm that has been threatened with the imposition of tariffs by the US. It is understood that May did not raise the issue of Trump’s retweets of the Britain First propaganda, which she condemned at the time.
It added: “The prime minister and the president discussed Iran and the need to work together to combat the destabilising activity which it is conducting in the region, including ballistic missile development, and continuing efforts to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. Britain’s departure from the European Union has made May keen to negotiate a new deal with the US, something seen as possible despite Trump’s “America first” rhetoric and the protectionist measures he announced this week against China.
“They also agreed on the importance of continuing to stand side-by-side in the fight against Daesh [Islamic State] in Syria and elsewhere. Trade between the US and the UK was going to increase “many times”, Trump said after meeting May. “The discussions … that will be taking place are going to lead to tremendous increase in trade between our countries, which is great for both in terms of jobs.”
“The prime minister updated the president on the good progress which had been made in the Brexit negotiations so far. The two leaders reiterated their desire for a strong trading relationship post-Brexit, which would be in the interests of both countries.” In a sign that the trade talks could prove to be long and difficult, May used the meeting to raise the US decision to put punitive tariffs on Bombardier aircraft that are part-made in Belfast.
“The two leaders began by discussing Bombardier, with the prime minister reiterating the importance of the company’s jobs in Northern Ireland,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
Foreign policy also featured in the meeting, with No 10 saying there had been agreement on the need for joint action against Iran, including continuing efforts to ensure it did not develop nuclear weapons, and agreement on the importance of standing “side-by-side” in the fight against Islamic State in Syria and elsewhere.
Earlier, May had used her speech at the WEF to call for international cooperation to develop ethical rules that will govern the use of technology in areas such as artificial intelligence.
The prime minister said new norms and regulations must be developed to allay public concerns over issues such as the control of private data, the disappearance of traditional jobs and the abuse of social media.
Donald TrumpDonald Trump
Davos 2018Davos 2018
(Business)
Theresa MayTheresa May
Foreign policyForeign policy
US foreign policyUS foreign policy
Davos 2018
(Business)
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content