Keir Starmer has touched down in the UK with Donald Trump’s warm words ringing in his ears after a historic meeting.
In what could have been a minefield, the Prime Minister appeared to hold his own with the US President as they discussed a wide range of issues. There were promising sounds from the US President on a trade deal between the two nations, the threat of tariffs and the future of the Special Relationship.
The US President said he is confident of a “great deal” on trade between the two nations, and said he has a “warm spot” for the UK. He also bigged up the PM by describing him as a “very tough negotiator” – something that will undoubtedly play well back home.
And after months of griping in the Commons, Trump indicated he would not oppose the Government’s agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands toMauritius. But there are still question marks over the US commitment to providing a security guarantee if a peace deal is agreed in Ukraine. Trump is set to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday afternoon after appearing to roll back on his accusation that he is a “dictator”.
Here we look at the big takeaways from the trip and Mr Starmer’s reasons to be pleased with the job he’s done.
1. ‘Very tough negotiator’
Mr Starmer will be buoyed by the US President’s assessment that he is a “tough negotiator”.
The Prime Minister headed over to Washington determined to show he could stand firm in the national interest. The US has the power to smash up the Government’s economic plans by slapping damaging tariffs on goods – more of that below.
So it did the PM’s image no harm at all when the President turned to him and said: “You’re a very tough negotiator. I’m not sure I like that, but that’s OK.”
2. Future of Special Relationship
The US President has a “warm spot” for the UK, he told reporters.
Trump, who has business interests in the country and a famous affection for the Royal family, indicated that this could play to Britain’s advantage. Responding to questions in the Oval Office he said: “We happen to have a great relationship with you, but we’ve had problems with the EU… I have a great warm spot for your country.”
3. Encouraging signs on tariffs
There was a ray of light on tariffs. Trump has indicated that the UK could face 25% hits on fuel and 21% on other goods. The US President has been outspoken in his criticism of the EU, which he claimed has “screwed” the US for decades.
But there might be some wriggle room for Britian, which will be welcome news for the PM. Trump wouldn’t say if Mr Starmer had talked him out of slapping tariffs on the UK – but he said: “He tried.”
Asked at the press conference if the PM had been successful in preventing him from introducing tariffs on UK trade, Trump prompted laughter as he said: “He tried. He was working hard, I’ll tell you that.
“He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there. But he tried.” Trump went on: “I think there’s a very good chance that in the case of these two great friendly countries we could end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary. We’ll see.”
4. ‘Great’ trade deal
There were encouraging signs of a trade deal. The US President said the two nations have a “very good chance” at arriving at a good deal.
He said talks were ongong, stating: “The people are working on it… it could be terrific for both countries”. And he continued: “I think we’ll have two deals – a deal on ending the war and a great trade deal with you.”
There is of course a long way to go on that. Yesterday Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the UK would not accept any agreement that would allow US-produced chlorinated chicken and hormone treated beef into the country.
And Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Friday morning: “The NHS is not up for grabs and is not on the table in the context of trade. But there are a number of areas where we can and should work together to deepen the trading relationship between our two countries.”
5. No hiccup over Chagos Islands
Mr Starmer has had weeks of Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage griping about the UK’s Chagos Islands agreement.
The UK has drawn up a plan to hand sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius, citing a national security issue over the ownership. But there had been fears that the US President could torpedo the deal during the trip.
This was sidestepped – at least for now. Trump said: “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well. I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.”
6. Respect for Zelensky
The US President has backtracked dramatically on his criticism of Volodymyr Zelensky, which sent shockwaves around the world.
He appeared to distance himself from calling the Ukrainian President a “dictator”, and said he expected the two to have a “very good meeting” on Friday. But he did not say whether he would apologise for the vicious remarks.
Mr Trump told reporters: “We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for him. We’ve given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely.”
7. Trump surprised how well they got on
Enthusing about the talks afterward, Trump said Mr Starmer was a “different type” of leader to Boris Johnson, who was in charge during his first term as President. The US President said it was “a good sign” that lunch had gone on longer than expected – and again praised Mr Starmer’s “beautiful voice”.
Following their meeting the President told The Spectator: “I know where he comes from from a political standpoint. I was surprised we got along very well.
“I mean, we had a lunch that ended up being longer than we thought. That’s always a good sign, you know, longer in the sense that we got along. I thought he was very good.”
8. But… what about the backstop?
Trump is notoriously difficult to read, and prone to very sharp u-turns. He appeared to be frosty when quizzed about UK calls for a US “backstop” if a peace deal is agreed with Ukraine.
Mr Starmer said that unless the NATO alliance stands firm, Putin will strike again. In a puzzling sequence of words, Trump responded: “Well, there is a backstop. First you have European countries, because they’re right there, we’re very far away, we have an ocean between us.
“But we want to make sure it works. So I don’t know whether you say backstop you mean a backstop psychologically, militarily or what.
“We are a backstop because we’ll be over there, we’ll be working in the country. That’s a great thing economically for them because… we’re going to have a lot of people over there… so I just don’t think you’re going to have a problem.”