US president Donald Trump will visit Britain midway through 2018, possibly in July, British newspapers reported on Saturday, citing government sources in Washington and London.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May's office said officials were still working out the details of a visit by Trump after the Daily Mail, citing a British government source, said that dates in mid-July have been pencilled in.
Britain is keen to reinforce its 'special relationship' with the United States as May's government prepares to leave the European Union, a divorce that will shape the country's standing in the world, but Trump has yet to visit London. The Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed official in the Trump administration as saying the president was looking at a visit to Britain in 'late summer'.
Many British voters have said that if the US president comes to Britain they would protest on a range of issues. Plans for a full-scale state visit were reportedly downgraded last year over fears the protests would overshadow the event and that President Trump would embarrass the Queen. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson said then: 'I think Her Majesty the Queen is well capable to of taking this American president – or indeed any American president – in her stride, as she has done over six remarkable decades.'
The US Embassy in London was not immediately available for comment on the reports.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
