CHEQUERS: US President Donald Trump held talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence on Thursday following a day of royal ceremonies.
The discussions focused on challenging issues including trade relations, the Ukraine conflict, and the situation in Gaza after Trump described his second state visit as the “highest honour”.
Starmer announced £150 billion of investment into Britain from American corporations including Microsoft and Blackstone during the visit.
“Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it’s exactly what this state visit is delivering,“ said Starmer.
The prime minister has positioned himself as an intermediary between Trump and European allies, particularly regarding support for Ukraine.
Britain hopes to secure further trade concessions and wants to see 25% duties on aluminium and steel reduced to zero.
“They’d like to see if they could get a little bit better deal. So, we’ll talk to them,“ Trump said before leaving for Britain.
The talks occurred amid political difficulties for Starmer after he sacked his Washington ambassador over connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein has also been a recent concern for Trump following revelations about their 1990s relationship.
King Charles III welcomed Trump to Windsor Castle on Wednesday with full ceremonial honours including gun salutes and mounted horses.
Approximately 120 horses and 1,300 military personnel participated in what officials called the largest state visit welcome in living memory.
The president and king ended the day with a white-tie state banquet attended by 160 guests including senior royals and business leaders.
Trump told dinner guests the state visit was “truly one of the highest honours of my life” during the evening event.
The king praised Trump’s “personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts” in his speech.
An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London on Wednesday protesting Trump’s visit with Palestinian flags. – AFP