Theresa May is to visit Donald Trump in the US next month, it has been revealed.

A senior Number 10 source told Sky News the Prime Minister will go to Washington "after the President's inauguration" - which is on 20 January - at some time in February.

The visit was confirmed after it was disclosed the PM's joint chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, flew across the Atlantic to meet members of Mr Trump's team in mid-December.

Image: Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy made a secret visit to the US in December

That visit is being seen as a move to mend fences with the President-elect and his team after a series of setbacks, including Mr Trump suggesting Nigel Farage would make a good UK ambassador in Washington.

Mr Trump was also thought to have been offended by a leaked email to Mrs May from the current ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, written the day after the presidential election in November.


In the email, leaked to The Sunday Times, Sir Kim told the Prime Minister Mr Trump was "an outsider and an unknown quantity", a put-down thought to have provoked Mr Trump's backing for Mr Farage.

It also took Mr Trump more than 24 hours to speak to Mrs May by phone after his election victory in November. But he did invite the Prime Minister to visit Washington as soon as possible.

Image: Sir Kim Darroch has sought to smooth relations with the Trump camp

In another move to smooth relations, it has already been reported that the Queen plans to invite Mr Trump on a state visit to the UK this year, during which he would stay as a guest of Her Majesty at Windsor Castle.

And in an apparent U-turn last week, in an article in the Washington Post, Sir Kim praised Mr Trump's "historic and impressive win" and suggested the relationship between Mr Trump and Theresa May could be as strong as that of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Confirming the US visit by Ms Hill and Mr Timothy, a Number 10 source said it was part of the build-up to the Prime Minister's first trip to meet the new President.

Image: Watch Sophy Ridge interview Theresa May at 10am on Sunday

"The Prime Minister suggested it would be a good idea for key staff from both teams to meet. President-elect Trump agreed this would be useful," the source said.

"We are pleased to have been able to make that happen and the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting the new president in the spring."

Senior ministers will be relieved that a visit to Washington is close to being finalised in the Prime Minister's diary.

She was accused of suffering a personal embarrassment and being outflanked when Mr Farage, the former UKIP leader met Mr Trump within days of his shock victory over Hillary Clinton.

Image: Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage enjoys a close relationship with Mr Trump

When she was Home Secretary, in December 2015, Mrs May criticised Mr Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States as "divisive, unhelpful and wrong."

Her two aides also may have had some personal explaining to do on their trip.

In May last year, before becoming joint chief of staff at Number 10, Mr Timothy said on Twitter that he did not want "any 'reaching out' to Trump," while Ms Hill tweeted: "Donald Trump is a chump."

There have been claims that there is concern in Whitehall about poor links with the incoming US administration at a time when Britain is looking to expand trade after leaving the EU.

Gove: May and Trump should have good relationship

It is reported that in private, officials have complained that Trump's team is not giving them any notice of its intentions.

Responding to Mrs May's planned visit, former justice secretary Michael Gove told Sky News: "It's entirely appropriate for the British Prime Minister and the American President, whoever they are, whichever parties they are, to have a good working relationship.

"That doesn't mean that they have to be figures in a romance.

"It simply means they need to manage the relationships, which are deep and enduring between these two countries, in the best interests of both countries."

He added: "I suspect that that meeting will concentrate on making sure that the relationship between our two countries stays in a businesslike fashion."

Mr Gove was also dismissive of Mr Farage being the first UK politician to meet the President-elect.

He said: "I think Nigel Farage, because he'd endorsed Donald Trump ... was invited in for a friendly cup of tea and the chance to take a few selfies and that's fair enough."

The PM is also expected to visit Turkey later this month for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the wake of a wave of terror attacks in which hundreds of people have died.

Mrs May wrote to the Turkish president after the New Year attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, vowing to help Turkey defeat terrorism.