Trump visit: a necessary evil for the UK?

It could probably come at a better time for the UK's embattled prime minister, but having invited President Trump to visit the country back in January last year, May must now host the highly controversial leader while fighting to keep her government together after two hammer blow resignations from David Davis and Boris Johnson. Arguably forced to cosy up to the president by the need for a favourable post-Brexit trade deal, May has been cautious about criticising Trump, despite his actions or words having often been condemned by other world leaders and UK allies.

The British public seems to understand this dilemma to some extent, though, as a new Independent/BMG survey has shown. When asked if they thought Trump should have been invited to visit, the largest share of respondents (42 percent) said 'no'. Asked if they thought the UK should make every effort to accommodate Trump in order to negotiate a trade agreement however, the responses were essentially flipped, with most (44 percent) saying it must indeed do this. The controversy surrounding his visit this Thursday is probably the least of May's worries at the moment, but it nevertheless seems that for her, this is simply a necessary evil for her long-term plans for the country.