Between a rock and a hard place

A little sympathy for Mrs May's travails on trade in aircraft?  The Independent reports:

Theresa May is "bitterly disappointed'' by the US government's decision to impose a 219 per cent tariff on a new model of passenger jet built by one of Northern Ireland's biggest employers, Downing Street has said, despite the Prime Minister personally lobbying Donald Trump on the matter.

Unions accused Ms May of being "asleep at the wheel" and said the US Department of Commerce's decision risked thousands of jobs at Bombardier.

The Canadian multinational employs more than 4,000 people in Belfast with many more jobs in Northern Ireland are supported through the manufacturer's supply chain.

So Mrs May's buttering up of President Trump has had little effect on the hard reality of "America First".  And her chums in the DUP will be less than pleased with her fruitless efforts.  Furthermore, Defence Secretary Fallon's toothless threats are likely to wash off Boeing's back, bearing in mind that it employs some 16000 British workers.

Furthermore, if the Tory government cannot sort out a such single-issue trade dispute, what hope for the more complex Brexit trade negotiations when they eventually take place?