Donald Trump will make a 'working visit' to Britain on July 13
- Donald Trump will visit the UK in July, the White House has announced.
- Previous reports of Trump's plans to visit the UK have been met with heavy criticism and the threat of widespread protests.
LONDON - US President Donald Trump will visit the UK on July 13, a spokesperson for Donald Trump has confirmed.
Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Trump will make his first visit to the UK since he became president.
The trip will be a so-called "working visit" without the full regalia and royal status of a full 'state visit", with officials keen to minimise the risk of disruptions and protests.
Trump's visit to Britain was first mooted in January last year, just seven days after his inauguration, when May extended him the offer of a state visit, something usually reserved for a president's second term.
But plans for a state visit have been subjected to repeated cancellations and delays, with May's attempts to woo the president complicated by his deep unpopularity in Britain and the threat of widespread protests.
Over 1.5 million people signed a petition calling for May to retract the president's invitation in January last year, while 67% of the population said in a recent poll that he has been a "poor" or "terrible" president.
Earlier this year, Trump cancelled a planned visit to open the new US embassy in London, criticising its move from the prestigious Mayfair to an "off location" at Nine Elms, in south west London.
The president said the move was a "bad deal" for the US, but media reports speculated that the real reason could have been the widespread animosity towards him in the country.
The news that Trump will visit the UK appears to be an indication that relations between the two countries has improved since last year, when May criticised the president for retweeting anti-Muslim videos from a far-right British fringe group.
The pair reportedly spoke extensively on the phone last week as they discussed their response to the chemical weapons attacks in Douma in Syria.
The news of Trump's visit to the UK followed his state visit to France, where he has developed close ties with President Emmanuel Macron.
There is still no fixed date for a state visit to the UK.