Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in Washington DC for crunch talks with Donald Trump in what has been described as one of the most important meetings between a British Prime Minister and US President since the end of WW2.
“We want to work with you, we want to welcome you to Britain,” he said in a short speech at the British ambassador’s residence. “We want a new partnership, because our history shows that when we work together great things happen.”
But Mr Starmer will have to navigate a White House that appears to be keen to upend decades of trans-Atlantic cooperation. The US President yesterday announced a staggering 25 per cent tariff on imports from the European Union.
Mr Trump, 78, declared the bloc was created to “screw” the US, adding: “It will be 25 per cent, generally speaking, and that will be on cars and all other things.” The prime minister will attempt to keep the president away from hitting the UK with similar punitive measuresduring his meeting today.
He will also hope to secure US support for Ukraine following a bizarre pivot and generous peace conditions for Russia to end the war. Mr Trump’s administration appeared to put few demands on Moscow, branded Ukrainian President Zelensky a “dictator” before pursuing a mineral deal with the country which was initially criticised by many analysts as attempting to exploit Kyiv’s vulnerable state before being toned down.
But Mr Starmer will have to think on his feet around the US President who has an earned reputation for unpredictability. The Republican was blasted yesterday after sharing an AI-generated video of a glitzy Gaza Strip, transformed to include casinos and Trump hotels complete with a massive golden statue of himself.
Follow the latest updates below.