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Morning,
The full implications of a Trump presidency are now starting to sink in on both sides of the Atlantic. Americans are anxiously trying to assess if he will follow through his campaign pledges. On the evidence of the interviews he gave last night the possible answers so far are: On the wall: it will now be a fence. On deporting three million illegal immigrants: yes, but with no details of how. Britain is also wrestling with how to handle a Trump presidency. The decision to invite Nigel Farage to Trump Towers on Saturday was unconventional to say the least. Downing Street will be wondering how to build relations with someone who regards Farage as the leading British emissary. The UKIP leader has many achievements to his name, including losing seven parliamentary elections and an congenital inability to resign, but he is not generally regarded as a statesman. This has not stopped some senior Tories from arguing that we should use the court jester of British politics as our ticket to the Trump circus.
This evening Theresa May gives her first Mansion House speech since becoming Prime Minister where she will try to take stock of both Brexit and a Trump presidency. The Prime Minister will acknowledge that change is sweeping the world - a point she made in her conference speech - but this time will try to explain how she intends to navigate these strange waters. Some of her speech will be a rebuke to Trump and others seeking to respond to the crisis of globalisation by retreating behind national borders. Her championing of free markets and free trade puts her at odds with a President elect who has called for tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports and wants to rip up international trade deals. Mrs May will temper her message with a warning that the pursuit of free markets must be coupled with an ambition to protect those who have been left on the wayside by globalisation: the victims of corporate greed and de-industrialisation stuck in low paid and insecure jobs. Politicians across the divide now acknowledge that free market economics has created as many winners and losers. Indeed this was the central pitch of Ed Miliband’s leadership but few wanted to hear his message and even fewer believed he was the right person to bring about the necessary changes. For Mrs May the challenge is match her rhetoric with actions. All the evidence so far suggests her politics are backward looking, for instance the resurrection of grammar schools, rather than a genuine attempt to end inequality. Nor is it clear how she intends to square her plans for Britain to be a global champion of free trade with her interventionist actions, many of which could fall foul of free trade rules.
The Commons returns today after a mini break and starts with Education Questions. Labour’s shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Debbie Abrahams is giving a speech this morning on how to extend welfare protection to the country’s five million self employed. As she notes, there are advantages to having the freedom to work for yourself but you are also penalised by losing out on sick pay, pensions and paternity pay.
If you want to get in touch my email is jason.beattie@mirror.co.uk and you can follow us @mirrorpolitics on Twitter.
Thanks,
Mirror Politics | 
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