May to seek special deal with Trump |
UK PM VISITS WASHINGTON FOR KEY MEETING TO REKINDLE THEIR ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’
British Prime Minister Theresa May will shrug off concerns about Donald Trump’s presidency and pledge to rekindle the special relationship as she begins a two-day charm offensive that will see her become the first world leader to meet the new US president.
Members of Parliament, including some in May’s own party, have expressed anxiety about Trump’s stance on a range of issues, including protectionism and torture. Global trade experts have warned that Britain may gain little from a bilateral trade deal with Washington.
But the prime minister was to deliver a warm message about the two countries working closely together when she addressed senior Republicans at the party’s annual retreat in Philadelphia last night, before she meets Trump in the White House for face-to-face talks today.
May’s arrival comes as Trump signs off a volley of executive orders in a very public show of swiftly undoing the work of the Obama administration and beginning to honour pledges made on the campaign trail.
On Wednesday, Trump signed two executive orders to boost border security and crack down on immigrants living in the US illegally.
On Tuesday, he angered Native Americans and climate change activists by signing executive orders to allow construction of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines. And on Monday, he reinstated the “global gag rule”, which bans aid funding for groups that offer abortions or abortion advocacy even if they use their own funds to do so.
May was pipped to a meeting with Trump by her Tory leadership rival Michael Gove, now a backbench MP, who interviewed the new president earlier this month.
Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, who spoke at a Trump rally during the election campaign, has also met him, and the president even went so far as to suggest him as a potential ambassador to Washington.
Sceptical
Downing Street knows that many British voters are sceptical about Trump and his populist policies, some of which he has already taken steps to put into action.
Thousands of people joined Women’s Marches in cities across Britain last weekend to protest against his stance on women’s rights.
But May has judged there is more to be gained by striking up what Downing Street sources called a “grown up” relationship with the new president than by remaining aloof.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, accused the prime minister of “threatening European partners while offering a blank cheque to President Trump”, while the SNP’s Angus Robertson pressed her on whether she was willing to downgrade Britain’s food standards to win a trade deal.
Andrew Tyrie, a senior Tory MP, also underlined the degree of concern in May’s party about Trump. “President Trump has repeatedly said he will bring back torture as an instrument of policy,” he said. “When she sees him, will the prime minister make it clear that in no circumstances will she permit Britain to be dragged into facilitating that torture, as we were after 11 September?”
A spokeswoman for the prime minister later said: “We don’t condone torture, inhumane or degrading treatment in any form. That is very clearly the UK’s position. There are going to be issues where we differ on approach and view with President Trump. The benefits of a close, effective relationship is we will be able to raise these directly and frankly with the president.”
May also hopes that by establishing a close relationship, she can persuade Trump to stick to his pledge of pursuing a bilateral trade deal with the UK that could be put into effect after Brexit.
Quick deal
But trade experts are sceptical that a deal can be negotiated quickly — and warn that the US may take advantage of its superior bargaining position as a much larger economy to force open Britain’s markets to US firms.
Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington, said: “It would require an enormous, transformative relationship with the US to make up for the decline in trade with the EU.
May also hopes that by establishing a close relationship, she can persuade Trump to stick to his pledge of pursuing a bilateral trade deal with the UK that could be put into effect after Brexit.
President Donald Trump was yesterday poised to suspend the US refugee programme for four months and to halt visas for travellers from seven Muslim countries, according to US media.
A draft executive order published in the Washington Post said refugees from war-torn Syria was to be indefinitely banned, while the broader US refugee admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days as officials draw up a list of low risk countries.
Meanwhile, all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — will be halted for 30 days.
Alongside this, the Pentagon will be given 90 days to draw up a plan to set up “safe zones” in or near Syria where refugees from its civil war can shelter.
More than a thousand people took to New York streets Wednesday to condemn Trump’s border wall and immigration plans.
Demonstrators of all stripes turned out to rally in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park.
“No ban, no wall, New York is for all,” demonstrators chanted.
‘It’s really scary’
Many of their signs called for the defence of Muslims’ rights and the continued reception of refugees from Syria and other Muslim countries in conflict.
“It’s really scary,” said Thariha Choudbury, a Muslim from Bangladesh.
“Since he (Trump) was elected, I really feel that Islamophobia has increased, and it can only continue because it has given power to racists in this country.” It is unclear whether the published draft is the final version, or when Trump will sign it, but it would make good on his campaign promises.
Trump told ABC News late Wednesday that his plan to limit the entry of people from Muslim countries was necessary because the world is “a total mess.”
“No it’s not the Muslim ban, but it’s countries that have tremendous terror,” Trump said. “And it’s countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems.”
Trump refused to say which countries were on the list, but he did say he believed that Europe “made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries,” describing it as “a disaster.”
Trump was asked if he worried that the limits would anger Muslims around the world.
“Anger? There’s plenty of anger right now. How can you have more?” he said.
“The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place . ... We went into Iraq. We shouldn’t have gone into Iraq. We shouldn’t have gotten out the way we got out. The world is a total mess.”
Controversial theme
Trump’s hardline attitude towards what he calls “radical Islamic terrorism” was one of the most controversial themes of his election campaign.
Rights groups have accused him of stigmatising a global faith, and some experts warn that offending America’s Muslim allies will hurt the fight against extremism.
Anger? There’s plenty of anger right now. How can you have more? The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger?” Donald Trump| US president