Theresa May must stand up to Donald Trump. Britain doesn’t need a poodle | Martin Kettle

The prime minister’s talk of ‘leading together’ with the new president is sheer folly. She looks set to repeat the errors of Tony Blair

Theresa May’s early visit to Donald Trump probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Pushing to the front of the White House queue is what British prime ministers do when there’s a new US president. Trump knows and likes Britain too, to the extent that he cares about any foreign country. The two countries are also allies. And new leaders need to have face time.

But the race was always a demeaning ritual, and now it is more demeaning than ever. Transatlantic relations are important, of course. But what would it matter if the British prime minister met the US president in February, rather than in January? Nothing would be lost. No other country except perhaps Israel cares so neurotically about Washington’s welcome mat.

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