Theresa May’s new invitation to Donald Trump is a sign of her desperation, according to Glyn Roberts . Plus advice for the prime minister from Les Bright , and Roy Boffy

News that Downing Street is preparing for a visit to Britain by Donald Trump in 2018 (Report, 26 January) will herald a PR drive by the UK government to sanitise the US president’s tarnished image for public consumption. Boris Johnson struck an early blow in this “manufacturing consent” campaign earlier this month. On the same day Trump cancelled a plan to open the new US embassy in London – hours after he was reported to have called African and other developing countries “shitholes” – the foreign secretary lashed out not at Trump but at Sadiq Khan, chastising the London mayor for upsetting such an important ally of the UK.

Now, in what seems an astounding display of hypocrisy, Theresa May has re-proffered a welcome to Trump – a man who has boasted of grabbing women by the genitals – almost in the same breath as she condemned the groping and sexual harassment of female hostesses at a “men only” charity dinner in London. May’s desperation to win a US trade deal highlights one of the inevitable consequences of Brexit: pushing Britain ever deeper under the influence of the US – even when that country is led by one of the most repulsive characters on the world stage.

Glyn Roberts

London

• Managing to get to the end of her speech without causing the stage set to collapse is the minimum we should want from a prime ministerial contribution in the Davos bubble (No blunders and a decent speech … just all a bit dull, 26 January). Meanwhile her MPs are carrying on their mutiny (May’s leadership under threat as fresh Tory revolt erupts over Brexit, 26 January), violent crime figures are chilling (Concern over police cuts…, 26 January), and rising numbers of people sleeping rough on the streets (Report, 26 January) illuminate one of the big issues for which she has no answer. Only a foolish politician would contemplate returning home – unless she has picked up tips on dealing with these issues while mingling on the conference fringes.

Les Bright

Exeter

• Theresa May should now do what John Major should have done all those years ago – chuck the “bastards” out of the party, so allowing her to get on with sensible negotiations with the EU and not be derailed every time someone says something sane about Brexit. Hopefully Jeremy Corbyn would then show the moral courage so far lacking in the Labour leadership and back her in concluding an agreement that doesn’t wreck the UK economy.

Roy Boffy



Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

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