Theresa May’s meeting with the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, is an indictment of Britain’s position in global politics following Brexit. May faced pressure from opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and members of her party calling for the Prime Minister to challenge Trump on issues of misogyny, racism and human rights. However, the Prime Minister is yet to challenge Trump.
Dodging the issues
Since President Trump announced that he would be meeting Theresa May last week, May has dodged demands for her to challenge Trump on key issues by stating that ‘the United Kingdom endures a special relationship with the United States that allows me to confront the President’.
May’s reluctance to commit to challenging Trump is a far cry from pre-Brexit Britain when she chastised Trump for his ‘misogyistic comments’.
The 360 is a clear indication of where the United Kingdom is politically. Without access to the European single market-a not yet realised inevitability following Brexit- May and her government is reliant on establishing a strong relationship with the new president, regardless of his character. However, Trump has been explicit in his discourse, stating that ‘America will be put first’. This can hardly be surprising for the Prime Minister considering Trump’s campaign was based around the catchphrase ‘make America great again’.
Britain has gained no independence from Brexit
Evidently, Theresa May has been compelled to sacrifice her moral stature in order to attempt to secure a strong relationship with Donald Trump. May’s excruciating handshake with Trump illustrates how little independence Britain has gained from voting to leave the European Union on the 23rd June, 2016.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said: ‘It is clear that Theresa May has no backbone. It is also clear that Donald Trump wants to put ‘America first’-he said so himself. The Prime Minisiter has sacrificed her moral code in order to grovel to a racist, misogynistic man that intends to bring back torture’.
