Trump set to make work visit to the UK later in 2018

Donald Trump is set to make a work visit to the UK later this year after meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Theresa May has invited Donald Trump to the UK despite the controversy surrounding the president after he retweeted a few videos from far right group Britain First.

At the meeting, the president promised the US will always "be there" for Britain. He said both countries have many things in common and that they "like each other a lot".

Trump also had some kind words for Theresa May, saying that they had "a really good relationship".

"I have tremendous respect for the prime minister and the job she’s doing. And I think the feeling is mutual from the standpoint of liking each other a lot."

Yet the invitation may be a potential risk for the PM's popularity, given speculation that the Trump visit could see the biggest protests since the anti-Iraq war demonstrations in 2003.

May invited Trump to a state visit just days after he came into office but backtracked after Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos from Britain First.

In turn, he declined a work visit planned for February during which he was to inaugurate the new US embassy, even after president criticised Obama’s decision to sell the old embassy for "peanuts", when it had in fact been taken while George W Bush was still president.

Responding to those remarks on Twitter, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that Londoners "have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here."

At their meeting in Davos, the two leaders also discussed the two countries' trading relationship, with Trump saying it would increase "many times", boosting job creation.

For her part, May broached the subject of the tariffs imposed by the US on Bombardier aircraft.

In Davos, Trump has also been interviewed by ITV's Piers Morgan where he said he would apologise for retweeting the posts from Britain First.

He tried to explain himself by saying that he wasn't aware of what the far-right group stood for and that he didn’t want anything to do with those kinds of people.

"If you are telling me they're horrible people, horrible, racist people, I would certainly apologise if you'd like me to do that," he told Morgan.

Trump said he had only retweeted the videos because he is a big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror.

"I am the least racist person that anyone is going to meet. Certainly I wasn’t endorsing anybody [...] It was done because I am a big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror. It was a big story where you are — but it was not where I am. So you’re telling me something."