Donald Trump looks forward to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May

US President-elect Donald Trump has said he is looking forward to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May in the spring, praising the UK as a "very special" ally.

"I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime US ally, is very special!," Trump tweeted.
Trump gave no details of the proposed meeting but both sides have now confirmed it will go ahead.

I look very much forward to meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington in the Spring. Britain, a longtime U.S. ally, is very special!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2017

The meeting is expected to take place at the White House after the January 20 inauguration of the new American President and before May's deadline to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to trigger Britain's official exit negotiations from the European Union (EU).

Negotiating a favourable trade deal with the US will be crucial as Britain leaves the European Union and tries to forge a new place in the global economy.

May, like her predecessor David Cameron, has previously expressed concern about Trump's stance on immigration, saying in December 2015 that his suggestion that Muslims should not be allowed to enter the US was, "divisive, unhelpful and wrong". But she went on to welcome his election unreservedly.

Last week, it emerged that May's two closest aides, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, had visited Washington to pave the way for a meeting between the May and Trump later this year.