May hails 'special relationship' before Trump meeting

British Prime Minister Theresa May warned America's allies on Thursday that they must "step up" and play their role in global security, as she wooed Republican lawmakers ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

She also defended the Iranian nuclear deal that the US president has denounced, although she said the agreement should be "very carefully and rigorously policed".

On Friday, the prime minister will become the first foreign leader to meet Trump since he was sworn in as president. They will hold talks on post-Brexit trade at the White House.

During her speech at a Republican party meeting in Philadelphia on Thursday, May won several standing ovations when she pledged her commitment to the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States.

Despite standing by the nuclear agreement, the British PM emphasised the importance of reducing Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

“This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf states to push back against Iran’s aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean,” she said.

While echoing some of Trump's concerns about the NATO military alliance, May also warned him against moving too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Washington's approach should be to "engage but beware".

READ: UK trains Bahraini troops as May puts trade before human rights

May’s trip has attracted controversy at home. But she expressed confidence in Trump's commitment to the UK-US "special relationship,” and told reporters that "opposites attract" when asked about her and Trump's different approaches to politics.

In Philadelphia, May met senior Republicans including House Speaker Paul Ryan and became the first foreign leader to address the party's gathering.

In her speech, she echoed Trump's warnings that the US would not pay for the world's defence, saying: "They should not undermine the alliances that keep us strong by failing to step up and play their part."

However, while accepting the need for reform in NATO and other international institutions such as the United Nations, she said they were vital in encouraging cooperation on global threats such as terrorism and climate change.

'Joint responsibility'

May acknowledged rising tensions between the US and China, but said fears of the "eclipse of the West" would not come to fruition if Britain and the United States stand together.

She invoked the memory of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan working together in the Cold War.

"We - our two countries together - have a joint responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain and the world," she said.

May also appeared in agreement with Trump when she criticised George W Bush’s nation-building doctrine that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  

"The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over,” she said.

"But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed."

While May's speech was applauded by members of her own party, others urged her to go further.

Some social media users criticised May for choosing to be the first foreign leader to meet President Trump.

Talking trade

May is eager to start talks on a US-UK free trade agreement, as Britain is set to leave the European Union, which probably means leaving Europe's single market and its 500 million consumers.

Trump has hailed the Brexit vote as "smart," believing it mirrors his own anti-establishment rise to the White House, but his calls for a protectionist trade regime could prove problematic for May.

Both London and Washington have expressed their interest in a quick trade deal, although under EU rules Britain must wait until it has left the bloc before it signs deals with any other states.

"There is much we can do in the interim, in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade in a number of areas," she told reporters on her plane.

Trump is highly controversial in Britain, not least for his disparaging and predatory comments on women, which May has described as "unacceptable".

She also had tough words on the president's position on torture, which he said on Wednesday "absolutely" works.

"We condemn torture and my view on that won't change whether I'm talking to you or talking to the president," she told reporters.

May called for stepping up efforts to defeat the ideology of “Islamist extremism”. However, she urged distinguishing between the “hateful ideology” of militants and the “peaceful religion of Islam”.

Last January, parliament debated banning Trump from Britain after nearly 600,000 people signed a public petition, sparked by his promise to ban Muslims from the US if elected president.

"I will be representing the issues of everybody in the UK when I see Donald Trump," May said.