Trump is playing the bully boy with his friend Boris

Boris Johnson and his government are entering a crucial moment which will affect pretty well every aspect of this country's future. Donald Trump is applying maximum pressure, one could argue bully boy tactics, on the UK to go down the route that will favour the United States and put the European Union into second place. Basically this is what Trump wants/demands: a trade deal with the UK post-Brexit ahead of a trade arrangement with the EU, a ban on allowing China's 5G network to be embedded in government infrastructure and scrapping UK plans to impose a two per cent tax on major social media companies Facebook, Amazon etc because they are American-owned. If Boris surrenders to Trump's ultimatums, all the promises of negotiating a trade deal with the EU by December 31 will go out of the window. If Boris puts the US before the EU on trade, the EU lot will be seriously miffed and will slow down talks and basically play hardball. British companies will suffer. Boris wants to do both US and EU trade negotiations at the same time. Good luck with that when there are two mighty egos at stake here - Trump's and the EU's. On the 5G question, Trump and the big guns in his cabinet have all warned Boris that if he so much as dares allow the advanced Chinese system into the UK networks, it will force the US to restrict intelligence-sharing. In other words the UK will no longer be treated as an equal member of the so-called Five Eyes ntelligence-sharing club - alongside the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - but will be sidelined. This would be totally disastrous as all the US intelligence-gathering systems, such as the National Security Agency, are inextricably linked to the UK's GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. They are one big happy family. Sir Andrew Parker, director-general of MI5, says he doesn't think the government decision on China's 5G will affect the 70-year-old Five Eyes arrangement. How does he know that? Has he spoken personally to Trump? Trump will do what Trump will do. If he orders the US intelligence community to limit their intelligence-sharing with the Brits, he is the commander-in-chief and that's what they will have to do, although it's difficult to see how the National Security Agency and GCHQ could be disentangled. They are one and the same. But the threat is there. What else can Trump threaten to do to damage the UK? Well,for a start, the US supplies the Trident II D5 missiles for the Vanguard ballistic-missile submarines that represent the UK's nuclear deterrent. The UK leases the missiles and relies on the US to maintain and refurbish them at the US Navy's King's Bay base in Georgia. We design and fit the nuclear warheads but the missiles are American. Could Trump threaten to stop the leasing of these missiles? Well, he could, but I doubt even he would go down that path. But Trump is currently playing the Big Ogre and Boris is just a small chap with a lot of blond hair. Will he have the b...s to stand up to his friend in the White House and put Britain first? The UK cannot afford to damage its relations with the US but does that mean we have to do everything Trump wants us to do? It reminds me of the wonderful Love Actually film when Hugh Grant, as the new prime minister, has a Downing Street summit with the US president, and, to his advisers' astonishment, declares at a press conference that he won't be bullied by the president and that Britain is a great country that is blessed with David Beckham's right and left foot hahaha. Boris has to show he is not a Trump poodle but at the same time emphasise that America remains our biggest and best ally, which it is. He also has to demonstrate to the voters who gave him a big mandate at the election that he will stand up for Britain's best interests. It is without question a huge conundrum. He has to get the balance right. On the 5G issue, I doubt there is much choice. The Chinese firm Huawei is miles ahead of its world rivals with this technology and Huawei is already everywhere in this country, 5Ging towns and cities all over the place. If the government says no to 5G for all its systems, how will that affect what has already been installed up and down the country? The sensible solution is to go for the Theresa May compromise, ban Huawei from the really sensitive core stuff, like the networks vital to GCHQ, but allow the technology to be used in more peripheral systems. I don't know whether that will work but the May government and now the Boris government seem to think it will. I agree with the Americans, it would be madness for China's 5G to be embedded in anything connected with intelligence and security. But if a compromise is possible, Boris should go for it and hope that the MI5 chief knows what he is talking about. Trump, nevertheless, could still take revenge. Two members of Five Eyes, Australia and the US have already said no to Huawei 5G. Canada and New Zealand are, like the UK, considering their options. As for the two per cent tax on Facebook etc, Trump and his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have warned that if it goes ahead the US will impose tariffs on UK cars exported to America. Charming!!! Trump uses trade tariffs like Bill Clinton used to use Tomahawk cruise missiles. France was going to do the same tax but backed down under US pressure. Boris may feel that for political reasons and for the sake of his wish to be seen as a tough prime minister, he will have to go ahead with this one because he said he would. Trump will then go ahead with his threat to impose tariffs on British cars, and a mini trade war will start. But I predict it won't last long. Whatever happens Boris must keep Trump on side but without surrendering to his bully boy tactics. Tricky, especially in the mood Trump is in right now over impeachment. This all makes the Harry and Meghan drama wither into the background.