Trump’s UK visit ‘back on’ as relations with Britain thaw
DONALD Trump’s long-planned visit to Britain is back on, it emerged last night.
In a major boost to relations between London and Washington, the US president is expected to travel to the UK and stay for several days this summer.
A senior source said dates in mid-July were ‘pencilled in’ the diary, with July 14 the favourite.
Mr Trump is expected to hold talks with Theresa May either in Downing Street or at Chequers. He may also meet Queen Elizabeth or other members of the royal family, even though it is not a state visit. Officials will be keen to roll out the red carpet while also minimising the prospect of protests.
Ministers have discussed plans for Mr Trump to meet the Queen at Balmoral, her secluded holiday home in Scotland, before visiting one of his two golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire. Officials believe using the royal family’s remote estate would prevent embarrassing scenes where he is confronted by thousands of demonstrators.
Mr Trump has his own Scottish connections: his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was born on the island of Lewis in 1912.
The US president’s visit to Britain, which was first mooted when he took office, has suffered repeated delays. Mrs May was among the first foreign leaders to visit the White House. Since then, their relationship has had turbulent moments. They clashed last year over Mr Trump’s tweets sharing anti-Muslim propaganda from the far-right group Britain First.
The new dates for a so-called working visit represent a sign that relations between Downing Street and the White House have improved. The two leaders spoke last week as they discussed their response to the chemical weapons attacks on Douma in Syria.
There is still no fixed date for an official state visit, and Downing