|
Trump's election has raised questions over the future of the
so-called special relationship that has underpinned close
British-American ties for decades, but the new U.S. leader has
praised last year's vote to leave the European Union and says he
wants to arrange a swift bilateral trade deal with Britain.
Supporters of Britain's exit from the European Union have
cheered these comments, but others have questioned how this will
fit with his protectionist policies, including his inaugural
speech promise to put "America first".
"You can expect the prime minister to be very clear during her
U.S. visit on the benefits of free trade and championing them
and wanting to look at what more can be done to increase that,"
May's spokeswoman told reporters on Monday.
The spokeswoman said she expected the prime minister would also
make clear to Trump that Britain is a strong supporter of the
2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, which the new
U.S. leader has threatened to either scrap or change.
May is due to attend the annual "Republican Retreat" in
Philadelphia on Thursday, becoming the first serving head of
state to speak at the event, before holding bilateral talks with
Trump in Washington on Friday.
Thousands of women marched in London on Saturday to protest
about Trump's attitude to women, joining demonstrations held in
major cities across the globe.
When asked during a BBC interview on Sunday about controversy
over Trump's comments on women, May, Britain's second female
premier, said she would not be afraid to challenge any
"unacceptable" talk from Trump.
She is also expected to discuss NATO with Trump, who has
described the military alliance as "obsolete."
Ahead of her U.S. visit, May spoke with NATO Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday.
"They discussed the continued importance of the alliance as the
bulwark of our defense and agreed on the need for the alliance
to continue to evolve to be able to effectively counter the
biggest threats of the day, in particular terrorism and cyber
attacks," a spokesman for May said after the call.
"The prime minister said she would be taking these messages to
Washington later this week."
(Reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan; editing by
Stephen Addison)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
