Trump UK visit: Farage meets president as Tory leader hopefuls reject Trump’s demand NHS is opened to US firms
'Comprehensive' trade deal promised as US leader suggests American involvement in healthcare a possibility
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has insisted the NHS would be “on the table” in any post-Brexit trade talks. “When you’re dealing with trade everything is on the table. So NHS or anything else, a lot more than that,” the US president said at a press conference with Theresa May.
He earlier promised, not for the first time, a “very substantial” post-Brexit trade deal with the UK as he met Ms May on the second day of his state visit, following a lavish royal banquet at Buckingham Palace. The leaders also discussed the role of Huawei in the UK’s 5G network.
Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said he had a “good meeting” with the president at the US ambassador’s residence and that Mr Trump “really believes in Brexit”.
Mr Farage was photographed being driven into Winfield House on Tuesday afternoon.
He later tweeted: “Good meeting with President Trump - he really believes in Brexit and is loving his trip to London.”
Mr Farage has campaigned for years to take Britain out of the European Union and is one of Trump’s most prominent British supporters. The president has called him a friend.
Mr Farage’s newly founded Brexit Party was the big winner in last month’s European Parliament elections in Britain, scooping up support from voters angry that the UK has not left the EU.
He has criticised the prime minister's divorce deal with the bloc and said Britain should leave the EU without an agreement.
Mr Trump praised Ms May’s handling of Brexit on Tuesday, saying she had gotten a good deal.
Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
Police say they are expecting some 10,000 protesters to march against Donald Trump's presence later today, writes Tom Batchelor.
A counter-protest is not expected.
The demonstration is set to leave Trafalgar Square at about 11.45am.
Rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump was a mistake by the UK government, said Asad Rehman, one of the protest organisers from the Stop Trump Coalition.
Mr Rehman said people were not protesting the individual but "the politics he represents", adding: "It's a fundamental mistake for the government to normalise that politics."
He said he expected a "sizeable" crowd at the central London protest. "We want to raise the bar and stand up for democracy and human rights," he added.
Mr Rehman said Mr Trump wants pictures of the pomp and ceremony to help him in a presidential re-election campaign in 2020.
Additional reporting by PA
Regarding the promise of a 'very substantial' trade deal...
The most powerful US Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, visited the Irish border in April and made clear that a hard border post-Brexit would mean any US-UK trade deal would not pass Congress, writes Chris Stevenson.
"That's just not on the cards if there's any harm done to the Good Friday accords," she said.
The Irish government has made clear that any hardening of the border would constitute harm, and Ms Pelosi backs that definition.
With Democrats controlling the House of Representatives, with Ms Pelosi as speaker, that would mean a trade deal including a hard border would not pass.
Mr Trump and Ms May will hold bilateral talks and a working lunch at Downing Street.
Also attending Ms May's encounter with the president in Number 10 were foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, chancellor Philip Hammond, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill and the UK ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Darroch, said Downing Street, writes Andrew Woodcock.
They are expected to discuss a wide range of global issues, including the question of whether Chinese firm Huawei should be involved in the development of the UK's 5G telecoms network, said a spokeswoman.
All smiles at Number 10 (Dan Kitwood/Getty)
Asked if the PM disapproved of protests taking place within a few hundred yards of Downing Street during Mr Trump's visit, with the involvement of Jeremy Corbyn, the Number 10 spokeswoman said: "The prime minister has been clear that people have the right to peaceful protest.
"That's what you would expect in a free and open democracy. But the prime minister believes the people of the UK are well aware of the importance of the UK-US relationship. The US is a hugely important ally to us and we are looking forward to continuing a successful visit."
The spokeswoman said she was "not aware" of any meetings the president may have arranged with other political figures during his visit.
Mr Trump is a "sinister man", one protester believes, writes Tom Batchelor.
Beverley Schamm in Trafalgar Square (Tom Batchelor/The Independent)
, 62, a retired teacher from Hemel Hempstead, told The Independent: "Although I’m just one person I felt I had to be here to show solidarity and protest against Trump’s politics.
"He is selfish and thirsty for more power. It sends all the wrong messages to all the people who have been forgotten about. He is a sinister man."
More from the protesters getting ready to set off.
Gary Jagniaszek, 41, a builder from Essex, said he was marching "to tell him to go home", writes Tom Batchelor.
He added: "We don’t want him here. He is a racist."
His father Bronsilaw, 65, also a builder, added: "He has interfered in our politics and it has nothing to do with him. He wants us out of the EU and then he will savage us."
Gary Jagniaszek, and his father Bronsilaw, preparing for the protest (Tom Batchelor/The Independent)
Some are making hay with the lack of a Trump-May handshake in Downing Street just now. However, other observers pointed out that the pair had already met and led a business roundtable conference together.
Donald Trump's motorcade passed Parliament Square, where the baby blimp is flying, on its way into Whitehall and Downing Street, the Press Association reported.
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