May goes to Washington: PM hopes to renew special relationship
Prime Minister Theresa May is heading to Washington on Thursday to meet President Donald Trump to boost talks of a bilateral trade deal with the US once Britain leaves the EU and “renew the special relationship for this new age”.
Kicking-off a two day trip, May is expected to say in a speech to the Republican party’s congressional retreat, that Britain and the US have the opportunity to “lead, together, again”.
According to an excerpt of a prepared speech, May will say: “The United Kingdom is by instinct and history a great, global nation that recognises its responsibilities to the world.
“And as we end our membership of the European Union – as the British people voted with determination and quiet resolve to do last year – we have the opportunity to reassert our belief in a confident, sovereign and global Britain, ready to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.
“So as we rediscover our confidence together – as you renew your nation just as we renew ours – we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age.
“We have the opportunity to lead, together, again.”
She hopes to lay foundations for a trade deal after Brexit and Trump has said that he wanted a deal “very quickly”, but Britain cannot start formal negotiations until it has left the EU.
May will be the first world leader to meet Trump, but has come under criticism for meeting with the President given his protectionist economic policies and an impending executive order to restore ‘black sites’ for terror suspects. In his first TV interview as President with ABC News he said that torture “absolutely” works.
In the first few days of his presidency he has moved ahead with plans to build a southern wall on the border with Mexico to curb illegal immigration and has approved controversial infrastructure projects, the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
On Saturday thousands of Britons joined Women’s Marches across the country in response to Trump’s comments about women and allegations of sexual assault and rape.
Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, tweeted: “Today he starts on wall, praises waterboarding, bullies climate scientists. She says they can lead together. Surely decent Tories feel queasy?”
Paddy Ashdown, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, also tweeted: “As all we know, love and admire about the US falls under a dark shadow, Mrs May arrives in Washington in supplication. We should all quaich.”
While Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston said: “You cannot lead on a global stage by advocating torture, disgusting racial stereotyping and turning back the clock on women's rights worldwide”.