US president Donald Trump is going to be in the UK later this year it was announced today, shortly after Trump met with British prime minister Theresa May in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

That Trump would visit the UK during 2018 was decided as the pair met at the World Economic Forum (WEF) but it follows repeated delays to Trump’s plans for a UK trip.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The prime minister’s office said:

The PM and president concluded by asking officials to work together on finalising the details of a visit by the president to the UK later this year.

The media statement did not specify whether this would be a standard trip, or the full state visit that May had previously offered Trump and that he is reported to want.

The announcement triggered calls for demonstrations during the trip on social media. Fears of protests against Trump and his Republican US administration are reportedly why previous plans for UK visits were abandoned by Trump’s team.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson said:

Trump is a dangerous, misogynistic racist and is deserving of the protests he will undoubtedly face. If and when he comes to the UK the Liberal Democrats will be at front and centre of the protests.

While May was among the first world leaders to visit Trump after his inauguration in January last year, after May publicly criticised Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-right group Britain First, the relationship has appeared to sour.

At their meeting earlier today Trump said:

I have tremendous respect for the prime minister and the job she’s doing. And I think the feeling is mutual from the standpoint of liking each other a lot.

Here’s a run down of six of the biggest talking points from Davos day three!

1) Malala Yousafzai calls for equal gender rights to education

Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest Nobel Prize winner, this morning called for girls around the world to have equal rights to education.

Speaking during a one-on-one interview on stage Malala — who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 after campaigning for girls education — said education can play a key role in improving giving the message of equality.

Yousafzai said:

I get so disappointed to see that people in these high positions openly talk against women, do not accept women as equals, they harass woman. It is just shocking to think that is is happening. I hope that women stand up and speak out against it.

I hope that people who are involved in such shameful things think about their own daughters, their own mothers, their own close female relations, and just imagine for a second, could they let it happen to them? I don’t think they would accept that.

2) Labour’s McDonnell warns the Davos elite the world’s economic model “isn’t working” (despite appearances)

As international growth figures begin to pick up John McDonnell, Labour’s shadow chancellor, today warned business people and international leaders that the world’s economic model is not working for everyone and they shouldn’t party too hard.

Many of those attending the World Economic Forum have been patting themselves on the back. But they should be worried. In the real world, outside the Davos bubble of Alpine restaurants and chalets, the global economic system they have built isn’t working for billions of people.

And just as Davos faces the risk of an avalanche this week, growth for a few risks a political and social avalanche unless there is fundamental change to our rigged economic system.

3) Trump is on his own on climate change

Jay Inslee, US governor of Washington, said Trump is isolating himself over climate change. The governor said that since Trump announced he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, not a single nation, state or city has followed him.

Inslee said:

There’s only one man in this parade

According to Inslee, three Republican states have joined the alliance for climate action, which now represents 40 percent of the US.

Meanwhile, Al Gore, the former US vice-president, has suggested Trump can’t disrupt the battle against climate change — especially if he isn’t reelected in 2020.

Speaking on a panel in Davos, Gore said there is strong momentum to fight climate change.

Several governors of our largest states, hundreds of cities, and thousands of US businesses are now ensuring that the US will not just meet, but exceed, the commitments it made in the Paris Agreement.

4) Soros warns that Trump wants to create a mafia state and may destroy the world

At a dinner in Davos this evening billionaire businessman-turned-philanthopist George Soros warned that open societies are in crisis, with various forms of dictatorship on the rise — such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

He said:

In the United States, president Trump would like to establish a mafia state.

Soros also cautioned that the survival of the world is at stake, due to the rise of Kim Jong-un in North Korea and Trump in the US. He said they both seem to be willing to risk a nuclear war to keep themselves in power.

5) Bitcoin is “just an experiment”

The Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Shiller has today described the cryptocurrency bitcoin as an “interesting experiment” rather than the future of our financial system.

He did however have some kind words for the technology that powers bitcoin — the blockchain.

I tend to think of Bitcoin as an interesting experiment, it’s not a permanent feature of our lives. We’re over-emphasizing bitcoin, we should broaden it out to blockchain, which will have other applications.