Trump welcomes his first Oval Office foreign leader as British prime minister Theresa May gets the VIP treatment - including posing beside bust of Winston Churchill

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President Donald Trump welcomed his first foreign leader to the White House on Friday, Britain's Theresa May. 

The pair bonded over a bust of Winston Churchill in the American president's office.

'This is the original. This is the original, folks, in many ways,' Trump said, showing off the bust of the famed British prime minister resting on a stand in between he and May. 'It's a great honor to have Winston Churchill back in the White House.' 

Trump and May opened what looks to be a new golden era in the 'special relationship' between the allied nations as they met today for talks on trade and the fight against ISIS.

The conservatives sealed their fledgling alliance with a warm handshake.

The Prime Minister became the first world leader to visit the US president at the White House, sealing their fledgling alliance with a warm handshake

The pair bonded over a bust of Churchill. 'This is the original,' Trump said of the bust. 'This is the original, folks, in many ways'

The leaders greeted each other outside the White House this evening before he ushered her inside the building

Trump said it was 'an honor' to have May in the White House.  May replied: ‘Well thank you Mr President.’

In contrast to the red carpet treatment being granted to the British prime minister, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande will have to make do with a phone call with Mr Trump tomorrow.

The US commander-in-chief is also due to speak to Vladimir Putin.

May will urge Mr Trump today to be wary of the Russian president, and attempt to secure his commitment to supporting NATO, which she regards as the 'cornerstone of the West's defense'.

The White House tweeted a picture of the PM - dressed in a striking red-orange dress - signing the visitors' book this evening. 

Earlier, she laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The PM took part in an emotional ceremony at the national monument in Virginia - where at least 15 British forces personnel are buried alongside American comrades - standing somberly as the Last Post was played. 

The site holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean conflict.

Theresa May is being given the red carpet treatment by the new US administration at the White House today

Mrs May and the commander-in-chief are set to cover an array of topics over lunch, including crucially trying to hammer out the basis of a wide-ranging post-Brexit trade deal

The White House tweeted a picture of the PM - dressed in a striking red-orange dress - signing the visitors' book

Dressed in black, the PM was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as Mrs May's convoy arrived and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

After a military band played the national anthems of the UK and US, the premier mounted the steps to lay a wreath of red poppies, bowing her head in respect as a single trumpeter sounded the Last Post.

More than 400,000 US troops killed in conflicts from the Civil War to the ongoing War on Terror are laid to rest at Arlington. 

Also at the site are a memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack and the grave of assassinated US president John F Kennedy.

The Prime Minister laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown solider at the Arlington National Cemetery today before heading for talks with President Trump 

PM was at the monument in Virginia, where at least 15 British forces personnel are buried, and stood sombrely as the Last Post was played

The Prime Minister dabbed at her nose amid freezing temperatures as she walked up to the monument in Arlington

The premier has enjoyed a positive start to her visit, with Republicans lavishing praise on her address to their conference in Philadelphia.

After she laid into two decades of 'failed' liberal interventionist foreign policy, receiving three standing ovations, one congressman raved that she might be Mr Trump's 'long lost sister'.

FRENCH PRESIDENT HOPEFUL SLAMS MAY FOR PANDERING TO DONALD TRUMP 

Britain is becoming a 'vassal' to the US, a front-runner for the French presidency has complained.

Emmanuel Macron delivered a stinging rebuke to Theresa May as he branded Donald Trump's first week in power 'worrying'.

'Britain lived in an equilibrium with Europe,' the independent candidate told France Culture radio. “But now it is becoming a vassal state, meaning it is becoming the junior partner of the United State.”

Polls have shown Mr Macron, a former investment banker, closing in on conservative contender Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

House Speaker Paul Ryan posted a photo of himself with the PM on Twitter, saying it had been 'an honor' to welcome her.

'We had an excellent, wide-ranging discussion about strengthening the special relationship between our nations,' he added.

Sen Cory Gardner, of Colorado, said Mrs May had 'renewed the special relationship between our two great nations'.

The PM hosted a party at the British residence in Washington last night, where the guests included Secretary of Defense General James Mattis - known as 'Mad dog'.

The premier will be hoping to build on her rapturous reception so far when she sits down for formal talks with the commander-in-chief in the famous Oval Office.

Officially the UK cannot engage in formal negotiations on its own free trade deals with third countries while it remains a member of the EU.

But Mrs May told senior US politicians: 'I think there is much we can do in the interim in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade in a number of areas, so we are able to see an advantage to both of us even if we haven't been able to sign that legal free trade agreement.'

In the same speech, she ripped up two decades of 'failed' liberal interventionist foreign policy that has dragged Britain into a string of disastrous conflicts.

And in a decisive break with the Blair and Cameron eras, the Prime Minister said the days of the UK using military force to 'remake sovereign countries in our own image' were finished.

Speaking to a gathering of top Republicans, she laid out a new set of rules which will see the UK intervene only when the 'threat is real' and it is in our own interests.   

The comments effectively bring an end to what have been dubbed 'wars of choice' and the so-called 'Chicago doctrine' established by Tony Blair.

Mrs May also warned Donald Trump to 'beware' Russian president Vladimir Putin and chose to evoke the memory of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during the Cold War.

She said: 'When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'. With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'. 

Speaking on Thursday evening to senior US politicians, Theresa May laid out a new set of rules which will see the UK intervene only when the 'threat is real' and it is in our own interests.

Mrs May warned Donald Trump (right) not to trust Russian president Vladimir Putin (left) and chose to evoke the memory of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during the Cold War

In her speech to the Republican Retreat convention, Mrs May added: 'There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength.

'And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict – and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russia's neighbouring states that their security is not in question.

'We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence. 

'And progress on this issue would also help to secure another of this nation's priorities – to reduce Iran's malign influence in the Middle East.

'This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf States to push back against Iran's aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean. '

Mrs May became the first world leader ever to address the Republican Retreat convention and will become the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump at the White House later

Mrs May said she wanted the UK and America to 'stand strong together' and the two countries must be 'smart and hard-headed', but only mentioned Trump by name once in her speech. 

She said: 'It is in our interests – those of Britain and America together – to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past.

'The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

'But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene.

'We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.'  

The Prime Minister's comments will be seen as the final dismantling of the policy laid down by Tony Blair in his now infamous 1999 Chicago address, which sowed the seed of British involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

David Cameron continued the approach by intervening in Libya to help topple Colonel Gaddafi - a move which plunged the country into civil war and chaos. Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya are all still hotbeds for Islamic terrorism. 

US Congressman Kevin Cramer, who was at the Republican Party gathering that Mrs May addressed, told the BBC: 'As I was watching her, and listening to her, I thought 'is this Donald Trump's long lost sister?'

'There was real similarities, while at the same time, clearly a different take on certain global issues.'

In her speech to the Republican Retreat convention May listed a string of shared challenges facing Britain and the US - including an aggressive Vladimir Putin and 'radical Islamists'

Britain could limit the intelligence it shares with America if Donald Trump brings back torture, Theresa May warns 

Theresa May arrived in the US tonight, pictured in Philadelphia, amid a deepening row over torture after the US President said waterboarding 'absolutely works'

Britain could be forced to limit the intelligence it shares with the US on suspected terror plots if Donald Trump brings back torture, the Prime Minister warned today.

Theresa May said that she 'absolutely condemns' the use of torture - only hours after President Trump declared that water boarding and other harsh interrogation techniques 'work'.

When questioned about their differing styles before landing in Philadelphia, Mrs May told reporters: 'Haven't you ever noticed that sometimes opposites attract?' 

The split threatens to create major tensions in the relationship between British spies and their US counterparts, which is currently rated the best in the world.

The UK's strict rules state that officials will not share intelligence with countries if it involves a serious risk of a detainee being tortured, or that is how the information was obtained.

In comments that triggered anger from human rights groups, President Trump this week threatened to revive some of the techniques used during a George W Bush's ill-fated 'war on terror'.

He said: 'I have spoken with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question 'Does it work? Does torture work?' and the answer was 'Yes, absolutely'.

Mrs May has been careful to find common ground with Mr Trump on issues such as trade and the Middle East.

But, speaking to reporters on a flight to the US to meet the President, she said Britain would be sticking to its guns on torture - and was prepared to deliver this message direct to the Trump administration.

The PM said: 'The UK Government's position on torture has not changed. We condemn torture and my view on that will not change whether I am talking to you or talking to the President.

'Our guidance is very clear about the position that the UK takes and our position has not changed.

'We have a very clear view in the U.K. That we absolutely condemn the use of torture and that has not changed and will not change.'

The British guidelines on the use of torture were laid down by David Cameron in 2010 amid accusations the Tony Blair government had turned a blind eye to the ill treatment of detainees during his cosy relationship with President Bush.

They state that: 'When we work with countries whose practice raises questions about their compliance with international legal obligations, we ensure that our co-operation accords with our own international and domestic obligations. We take great care to assess whether there is a risk that a detainee will be subjected to mistreatment and consider whether it is possible to mitigate any such risk.

'In circumstances where, despite efforts to mitigate the risk, a serious risk of torture at the hands of a third party remains, our presumption would be that we will not proceed. In the case of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, this will cover a wide spectrum of conduct and different considerations and legal principles may apply depending on the circumstances and facts of each case. '

Police and prosecutors in Britain have made it clear they will pursue cases where there is evidence of British complicity in torture.

MI5 and MI6 both faced probes into the alleged conduct of unnamed officers in relation to the war on terror.

Ex-detainees have claimed that British officials were present when ill treatment took place. The taxpayer has been landed with a compensation bill running to tens of millions of pounds to settle claims brought by the terror suspects.

Some security experts have claimed the resumption of torture by the US would make intelligence sharing 'impossible'.

Ex-GCHQ official Matt Tait, said: 'Even laying aside the enormous domestic law and eighth amendment issues this brings up, this will make it impossible for UK intelligence cooperation with the Trump administration across a range of intelligence programs.'

Donald Trump, pictured arriving aboard Air Force One at Philadelphia International Airport today, used his first TV interview as President to re-assert his view that waterboarding 'absolutely works' 

Labour's former leader Ed Miliband and senior Tory MP Sarah Wollaston were among those urging Mrs May to keep her distance. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling tweeted simply: 'History's watching, Theresa'