Theresa May will head straight from the White House to Erdogan’s presidential palace for crunch security talks

Theresa May will jet from White House for crunch trade and security talks with Turkey’s President Erdogan this weekend, Downing Street revealed yesterday.

The visit comes amid growing fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to Nato.

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No 10 claim the Nato partner Turkey is an “indispensable partner and close ally” and did not want to cancel a long planned visit that clashed with her rushed US trip.

It is expected the pair will discuss the struggle against ISIS.

Turkey was the target of a terrorist attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day when a gunman shot dead 39 people in a popular Istanbul nightclub.

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It will also be Mrs May’s first visit to Turkey as PM and comes in the wake of Erdogan’s clampdown on opponents following the failed coup in July last year.

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The PM will fly direct to Ankara from the US, where she is meeting Donald Trump on Friday.

But last night the Lib Dems blasted: “From Erdogan to Trump, Theresa May seems to see her natural allies as the populist bullies of the world.”

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Their Foreign Affairs spokesman Tom Brake added: “Erdogan has jailed more journalists than any other country.

“He has locked up teachers, professors and policemen without any due process, yet our Government is point-blank refusing to call him out on these egregious crimes.

“The Prime Minister has a responsibility to defend freedom of speech worldwide instead of cosying up to bullying regimes.”