Tooth fairy or disaster? UK’s gamble on Trump
HAILED as an ace up the sleeve for Britain in the upcoming Brexit negotiations last week, relations with US President Donald Trump are turning into a diplomatic headache for Prime Minister Theresa May.
Trump’s rejection of the European Union and his enthusiasm for a swift post-Brexit trade deal with Britain appeared to boost May, demonstrating that she had other options if EU leaders offered an unattractive deal.
“Trump has come along like the tooth fairy – this is one massive, magnificent gift,” one Brexit-supporting MP told The Spectator magazine last week.
The bond between the two leaders was reinforced on Friday when Trump hosted May in the White House, and pictures of them holding hands were splashed over the front pages of the country’s newspapers.
But instead of arriving home to plaudits, she flew into a firestorm as Trump announced a temporary measure preventing refugees and travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the country, sparking huge protests on both sides of the Atlantic.
May initially refused to condemn the move, but then issued a statement saying she did “not agree”, highlighting the peril of pinning her fortunes on the US president in the eyes of some commentators.
“The election of Mr Trump has transformed Brexit from a risky decision into a straightforward disaster,” wrote Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman.
“The emperor Nero has now taken power in Washington – and the British are having to smile and clap as he sets fire and reaches for his fiddle.”
The diplomatic tangle is further complicated by May inviting Trump for an official state visit later in the year, when he will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. More than 1.7 million people have signed a parliamentary petition demanding that the trip be downgraded over concerns that he will damage the reputation of the highly popular queen.
The petition is to be debated in parliament on February 20.
“Anything that embarrasses the queen plays badly in British politics,” London School of Economics (LSE) professor Iain Begg said.
Scaling down the visit would also likely go down badly with the US leader, who has spoken of his admiration for the British monarch.
May “doesn’t want to upset Trump . . . and he will be watching how she behaves very carefully”, LSE fellow Brian Klaas said. “She will have to be very careful.”
Teaming up with Trump was therefore a “political risk”, said Begg.
“She’s not tied to him yet but she has started tying the knot,” Klaas said. “She can untie it, but right now, the picture of them holding hands is one that’s not easy to distance yourself from.”
There is also no guarantee that any eventual trade deal with the US will boost Britain’s economy, particularly given Trump’s “America First” policy against free trade agreements.
Ties with Trump may play well with many voters in a country where immigration and anti-establishment anger were key issues in the decision to leave the EU.
“The approval ratings will make clear if Brits are pro-Trump foreign policy or against it,” said Klaas. — AFP