Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Conservative Jitters on Eve of Trump's London Trip

Jamie Dettmer

   LONDON - Britain's politicians are bracing for a two-day visit to
   London by U.S. President Donald Trump and wondering how the trip may
   affect the most volatile and toxic British election in decades, one
   likely to shape the country for generations.

   Trump arrives in London Monday for a two-day trip to attend what's
   shaping up to be a fiery NATO summit, hosted by British Prime Minister
   Boris Johnson.

   With 10 days to go before Britons vote in their third general election
   in less than four years, the ruling Conservatives are enjoying healthy
   opinion poll leads, which suggests they have a chance to pull off a
   68-seat majority in the House of Commons. However, Johnson's aides are
   fearful of risking anything that could upset their momentum and reverse
   the trend.

   They worry the norm-shattering Trump may fire off controversial remarks
   concerning the election, Brexit and a future transatlantic free-trade
   deal with Britain, one the country would need desperately to compensate
   for a break with Europe. Johnson's aides are playing for safety first
   -- a caution that's seen Johnson reduce his TV interviews and debate
   appearances in the final days of the election campaign.

   In an era of political upsets and scrambled politics the Conservatives
   don't want to tempt fate, and last week Johnson's key political
   adviser, Dominic Cummings, warned the party faithful that the general
   election is much closer than polls suggest, issuing what he dubbed a
   "bat signal" to anti-EU voters that Brexit is at risk and they need to
   turn out and vote Conservative.

   "Trust me, as someone who has worked on lots of campaigns, things are
   much tighter than they seem and there is a very real possibility of a
   hung Parliament," he said.

.