Donald Trump and Theresa May will meet in Davos after White House about turn

Trump May
Donald Trump and Theresa May Credit: PA

Donald Trump and Theresa May will meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week after the White House appeared to cave under pressure from Downing Street.

White House officials had initially indicated the US president would not meet Mrs May in the Swiss resort, despite agreeing to talks with Emmanuel Macron, the French president

With only days left before the summit the US administration said time had been found for the two leaders to have a meeting on the margins of the gathering after all.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said: “President Trump looks forward to having a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister May in Davos next week to further strengthen the US-UK Special Relationship. Other details on the President’s schedule at Davos will be announced next week.”

It came after Mr Trump had appeared to be snubbing Mrs May. She had wanted a “clear the air” meeting after Mr Trump last week cancelled plans for a visit to open the new US embassy in London.

Downing Street had almost given up hope of a Davos meeting taking place, and blamed diary clashes for the initial failure to set one up.

Following Mr Trump’s decision to include Mrs May in his schedule a Number 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with President Trump in the margins of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland next week.”

It was expected the two leaders would discuss issues including North Korea.

Mrs May is due to be in Davos on Wednesday and Thursday. Mr Trump is due to arrive on Thursday morning.

Last week a US source had told The Daily Telegraph that there was not time in Mr Trump’s schedule for him to meet Mrs May, describing Davos as an “extremely quick trip”. They blamed a lack of time for the lack of a meeting.

British officials had been trying to engineer a meeting since it was announced that both leaders would be in Davos, which is usually the preserve of chief government fiance ministers. But the early response from the White House was said to have been lukewarm.

It will be the first time a US president has attended Davos since Bill Clinon did so in 2000.

Mrs May was the first world leader to visit Mr Trump in the White House following his election victory.

But fears over the status of the special relationship were intensified after Mr Trump’s canceling of the visit to open the embassy in London.

He blamed that decision on the embassy being in an “off location” and costing too much money in a $1.2 billion “bad deal”.

The US president has accepted an invitation for a state visit but no date has been confirmed amid the prospect that there would be widespread protests.

Mr Trump has indicated he does not want to be faced by mass opposition and there have been suggestions he could make a lower profile working visit without the “bells and whistles” of a state visit

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