Donald Trump and Theresa May – Do opposites attract?

The Tory leader told U.S. lawmakers in Philadelphia: “It is in our interests – those of Britain and America together – to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe”.

Mrs May is the first foreign head of government to address the Republican Retreat.

She said she is honored to rekindle the US-UK relationship to defeat terrorism.

Both London and Washington have expressed their interest in a quick trade deal, although under European Union rules Britain must wait until it has left the bloc before it signs deals with any other states.

She hailed free trade generally, on a day when White House press secretary Sean Spicer floated a 20 per cent tariff on Mexican imports to pay for a border wall Trump wants to build.

May’s gift to Trump can be seen as an attempt to highlight both his personal ties to Britain as well as the long-standing alliance between the two countries.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday she was pleased to be able to meet US President Donald Trump so early, but said she would not shy away from speaking frankly to him.

Critics say May’s desire for new economic partners once Britain exits the EU’s single market of 500 million people is blinding her to Trump’s disregard for facts, sweeping edicts and isolationist “America first” stance.

He said: “I’m meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow, as you know, of Great Britain”.

Echoing some of Trump’s concerns about NATO, May said the US-led military alliance must be reformed and also other worldwide institutions such as the United Nations. The UK and the U.S. have shared challenges, shared interests, that we can work together to deal with.

She planned to raise security and defence, Syria, Russia and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation with Mr Trump, refusing to rule out discussions where the two leaders may not see eye-to-eye.

She said the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were “born in the postwar world at Bretton Woods” and were conceived ‘by our two nations working together’.

It follows Alex Salmond’s controversial remark that Mrs May should not discuss Britain’s future trade deal with the U.S. when she meets with President Trump.

In anticipation of a potential backlash, a spokesperson for the prime minister stressed Thursday that the “NHS will never be part of a trade deal and will always remain free at the point of delivery”, according to The Independent newspaper.

May’s desire to ingratiate herself with the new president has drawn criticism in her own country from across the political spectrum.

It all reminds us of the deal done between President Reagan and Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher which President Trump wishes to extend and Theresa May can reciprocate.

“The world is passing through a period of change – and in response to that change we can either be passive bystanders, or we can take the opportunity once more to lead”.

May, who has been accused by Labour and Tory MPs of cosying up to Trump, said: “We condemn torture and my view on that won’t change – whether I’m talking to you or talking to the President”. “It is a matter for U.S. and US authorities”, she said.

Elsewhere in her speech, May urged the Trump administration to engage with Moscow but “beware” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The gift could well be a nod to the president’s Scottish ancestry on his mother’s side.

Labour has urged Mrs May not to give Mr Trump a “blank cheque” over trade, warning United Kingdom interests must be put first and there can be no question of watering down food safety standards and opening up the NHS to foreign procurement in return for concessions.

Although the party also controls the House of Representatives and the Senate, Mr Trump fell out with many leading party figures during the presidential campaign.

Mr. Trump’s notion that investing in relations with Britain and a handful of other countries – Israel, Egypt and perhaps Russian Federation – will substitute for the web of alliances the United States forged after World War II is similarly shallow.