By Craig Munro
Copyright metro
The last opportunity the two leaders had to talk in person was Trump’s trip to Scotland in July (Picture: Jane Barlow/Pool/AFP)
As he makes his way over to the UK, it’s not hard to see what Donald Trump wants to get out of his state visit.
‘Primarily it’s to be with Prince Charles and Camilla,’ the US President told reporters earlier today, using a title the King hasn’t had for three years.
‘They’re friends of mine for a long time, long before he was King. And it’s an honour to have him as King. I think he represents the country so well, I’ve watched, he’s such an elegant gentleman.’
Follow our live blog for updates on Donald Trump’s UK visit
But if it’s all about the pomp and pageantry for Trump, what is Sir Keir Starmer hoping to get out of the trip?
The Prime Minister used up a bit of political capital by handing a leader who’s massively unpopular in the UK the near-unprecedented (and expensive) honour of a second state visit.
It wasn’t without its risks – on his last state visit in 2019, Trump was met with enormous protests in central London including a notorious blimp depicting him as a baby.
But the PM believes the potential benefits of his surprise gift – presented at the White House in February – far outweigh those potential negatives.
Tomorrow will be all about showering the President with all the lavish trappings of the state in a flashy banquet.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves met Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the lead-up to the visit (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The day after that, though, the two leaders will get down to business with talks at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s official country retreat.
Much of those talks will focus on trade, with the UK economy still being battered – like so many other countries around the world – by Trump’s tariffs.
Particularly salient are the import taxes that have been slapped on steel and aluminium.
If you were paying close attention back when the UK announced a trade agreement with the US in May, you might remember those two metals featured heavily.
Nuclear power has formed a central part of talks between the UK and US ahead of the visit (Picture: PA)
The planned lowering of the tariffs was painted as a major win for Starmer, as it would potentially give the struggling British steel sector an advantage on the international playing field.
But it still hasn’t actually happened. The UK avoided a punishing doubling of the tariffs for almost everyone else in June, but the existing levy has already been causing enough pain.
Beyond that, a deal on nuclear power has also been announced and details of a broader agreement focusing on tech are expected to come tonight.
In the lead-up, the government was buoyed by Google’s announcement of a £5 billion investment in the UK for AI services after the US tech giant opened a new datacentre in Hertfordshire.
The new Google headquarters in King’s Cross, London (Picture: Getty Images)
The PM will also want to raise Ukraine and wider Nato security too, after Russia recently sent drones into Poland and Romania.
Despite a glimmer of possibility after Trump’s major bilateral summit with Vladimir Putin last month, peace talks in the conflict now seem as far away as ever.
It’s been a torrid few weeks for Starmer, with controversy-laden resignations of several top figures including his ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson.
Perhaps the thing the PM wants most of all from this state visit is a distraction from the sense of constant turmoil – and maybe even one or two decent wins to shout about.
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