Donald Trump to land in UK TONIGHT in surprise secret visit to RAF base

is expected to arrive in the UK as his is scheduled to refuel at a US airbase. Flight restrictions around RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk indicate the US president's Air Force One jet will land there late on Monday or early on Tuesday en route to an official visit to the .

Legislation published by the Government prohibits unauthorised flights in the area between 11pm on Monday and 4am on Tuesday. This is "for reasons of public safety and security during visits by a head of state", according to a statutory instrument. The same restrictions are in place between 5pm and 10pm on Friday, indicating Air Force One may refuel at RAF Mildenhall again. It took under 26 minutes to refuel Mr Trump's plane on a stopover at the site during a journey to Vietnam in February 2019 during his first term as president, US officials said.

There are reports that Mr Trump intends to during his visit to the Middle East. The plane would be converted to serve as Air Force One and be taken into the ownership of the foundation managing Trump's yet-to-be-built presidential library, ABC News reported.

Mr Trump posted on social media to defend the plans on Sunday night saying: "So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that!"

His plans have drawn criticism from allies, with far-right ally and activist Laura Loomer saying to accept a plane from Qatar would be a "stain" on the administration. She added that Qatar "fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have murdered US Service Members".

Opponents of the president have also criticised the proposal, with the Democratic National Committee saying the move was proof of Mr Trump using his position for personal financial gain, while Democrats in Congress called the move "wildly illegal" and "corruption in plain sight".

Mr Trump suggested last month that a date for September is being set for him to meet King Charles in the UK. He told reporters in the White House he was "invited by the King and the country" while suggested in last week's event to announce a US-UK trade deal that he would see British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer "soon".

Mr Trump was feted with a grand state visit to Britain, hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II, in June 2019 during his first presidency.

As part of that visit, he had a tour of Westminster Abbey and met the then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles, for tea at Clarence House.

He also attended a state banquet in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II, where the President praised the "eternal friendship" between the two nations.

RAF Mildenhall, where the president is set to land today, was used by the famous Bomber Command unit during the Second World War as a hub for operational combat missions.

Placed on standby after the war, it was reopened in 1950 and became a joint operation base between the RAF and US Air Force (USAF). Alongside its sister base RAF Lakenheath, which lies around five miles (8km) to its northeast, the Mildenhall base has the largest USAF presence in the UK.