Trump and Brexit are inseparable at this point – this three-day visit is far from the end of our woes

As the fight against the normalisation of his politics continues, the last three days have shown that the US president is fast becoming a very British problem

As the embarrassing spectacle that is Donald Trump’s state visit comes to an end, you might be hoping to bookmark our warm, grovelling welcome to the president as three painful-but-necessary days which are now over and done with. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. The red-carpet reception for a man who holds Britain’s values of fairness, tolerance and honesty in disregard is just a small taster for what’s in store for Brexit Britain, as we will be forced to cling to the USA more than ever.

Broadly speaking, there are three pillars to Britain’s global influence: the European Union, multilateral institutions such as the UN, and our relationship with the US. Donald Trump is dismantling two of these. He has waged war on our rules-based international order and, along with his network of nationalist friends, looks forward to the collapse of the EU.

Of these pillars, just one remains intact: the “special relationship” we have with the US. The last vestige of hope – a UK-US trade deal – must now be made, whatever the cost, because there’s little else we have left.