Theresa May will stress value of free trade in talks with Donald Trump

Theresa May will stress the value of free trade and her support for the nuclear deal with Iran when she meets US President Donald Trump later this week.

Mr Trump's shock election victory has raised doubts over the future of the so-called special relationship between Britain and the US.

The newly inaugurated President has praised last year's Brexit vote and said he wants to quickly agree a trade deal with the UK.

The remarks have been welcomed by supporters of severing ties with Brussels.

However, some have questioned how this will fit with Mr Trump's promise to put "America first" and "buy American and hire American".

Ahead of the meeting between the pair, expected to be on Friday, Mrs May's official spokeswoman sounded a positive note.

"You can expect the Prime Minister to be very clear during her US visit on the benefits of free trade and championing them and wanting to look at what more can be done to increase that," she said.

Mrs May will also make clear to Mr Trump that Britain is a strong backer of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and other world powers, an accord the Republican has threatened to either scrap or change.

The PM is due to attend the annual Republican Retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday, becoming the first serving head of state to speak there, before holding bilateral talks with Mr Trump in Washington DC the next day.

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) will be the first world leader to meet the President since his inauguration last week.

Mrs May said at the weekend that when she sits down for talks with the 70-year-old billionaire she will be making the "biggest statement" about the role of women in the world.

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr she "won't be afraid" to tell Mr Trump when she finds things "unacceptable".

However, she refused to be drawn on whether she would use the occasion to tackle him over his "misogyny", after protests by millions of women all over the world in the wake of his inauguration.

The PM condemned lewd comments made by the President in an interview with Sky (Frankfurt: 893517 - news) 's Sophy Ridge on Sunday earlier this month .