By Benjamin Lynch
Copyright dailystar
Donald Trump’s presidential helicopter was forced into an emergency landing after a “hydraulic issue”.
The problem came at the end of his state visit to the UK. The American leader and the first lady Melania Trump were on the Marine One helicopter at the time. The White House said the helicopter stopped at a “local airfield” out of an “abundance of caution” after a “minor hydraulic issue” was detected, before the pair boarded a support helicopter to continue their journey.
They had been travelling from the Prime Minister’s country residence at Chequers to London’s Stansted airport, where Air Force One was waiting to take them back to the United States. Trump arrived around 20 minutes behind schedule, but the White House did not provide a reason for the delay before take off.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “Due to a minor hydraulic issue, and out of an abundance of caution, the pilots landed at a local airfield before reaching Stansted airport.”
“The president and first lady safely boarded the support helicopter.”
Trump today said a new tech deal would help the US and UK “dominate” in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) as Sir Keir Starmer hailed a “new era” for the special relationship.
The US president, making an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, is determined to take on China in a battle for technological supremacy.
The tech prosperity deal signed at Chequers will see US firms invest in the UK and boost co-operation on AI, quantum and other emerging technologies. The deal includes joint research programmes to develop models in areas such as biotechnology, precision medicine, cancer, rare diseases and fusion energy.
At a joint press conference with Trump, Sir Keir said: “We’ve renewed the special relationship for a new era.”
He said the tech agreement signed with the US “has the power to change lives”.
“It’s our chance to ensure that technologies like AI, quantum and others amplify human potential, solve problems, cure diseases, make us richer and freer, strengthen democracy not tyranny,” Sir Keir said.
“This is the territory on which the future will be won.”
Asked whether he had sympathy with Lord Peter Mandelson for being fired over his historic links to the billionare paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Trump said: “I don’t know him actually”.
Lord Mandelson’s departure left the Government hosting Trump’s state visit without a US ambassador, with James Roscoe, the UK’s charge d’affaires in Washington, stepping up in the meantime.
Lord Mandelson was said to have been instrumental in organising the presidential visit.
His sacking last Thursday followed the emergence of emails in which he told Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He is also reported to have told Epstein “I think the world of you” the day before the disgraced financier began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
Trump continues to deny being the author of a sexually suggestive letter in Epstein’s 50th birthday book in 2003.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.
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