After a day of pomp and ceremony during which Mr. Trump rode in a carriage with King Charles and feasted at a state banquet, the U.S. president and Mr. Starmer will have fun the revealing of a £150 billion ($205 billion) bundle of U.S. funding into Britain.
The offers, masking areas reminiscent of know-how, vitality and life sciences, will provide a renewal of the so-called ‘particular relationship’ between the 2 nations, one thing Mr. Starmer has labored laborious to domesticate since Mr. Trump grew to become chief in January.
Epstein ties and ‘free speech’ variations could come up
The assembly shouldn’t be with out perils. Later on Thursday (September 18), the 2 leaders will maintain a press convention, when journalists may quiz each over the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
PM Starmer was pressured to sack Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. final week after his shut ties with Epstein have been documented and Trump’s relationship with the late financier has additionally come beneath scrutiny.
“For Mr. Starmer, he is having a difficult domestic time and he needs a positive international narrative and to bring Mr. Trump on board on key issues,” mentioned Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group assume tank.
Mr. Trump would wish to present there was worth in shut relations with Starmer, she mentioned. “For both sides, they realise there is a lot to be gained.”
Mr. Trump, talking alongside Charles at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited fortress on this planet, described his go to as “truly one of the highest honours of my life”.
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the Beating Retreat navy ceremony at Windsor Castle on September 17, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Mr. Starmer hopes this sentiment will proceed into Thursday (September 18) and deter the U.S. chief from straying into extra delicate areas, reminiscent of Britain’s on-line security legal guidelines and place on Israel.
Speaking at Wednesday’s (September 17) banquet, Mr. Trump mentioned Britain had “laid the foundations of law, liberty, free speech and individual rights” beneath its empire and “must continue to stand for the values and the people of the English speaking world”.
A couple of hours later, he cheered the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over feedback made in regards to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. President Trump has pressured broadcasters to cease airing content material he finds objectionable.
PM Starmer anticipated to champion offers
Instead, Mr. Starmer will wish to champion the offers secured between the 2 nations, together with a brand new know-how pact with corporations from Microsoft to Nvidia, Google and OpenAI pledging £31 billion ($42 billion) in investments over the subsequent few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear vitality.
The British chief seems to have resigned himself to not getting any additional discount on metal and aluminium tariffs, in line with feedback from an official taking part in down the prospect. But Mr. Starmer can say Britain is more and more a vacation spot for U.S. funding, aligned to its monetary providers, tech and vitality sectors.
Mr. Starmer will even flip the main target to overseas affairs on Thursday (September 18) when he hosts Mr. Trump at his Chequers nation residence, hoping to steer the U.S. chief to take stronger motion towards Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Trump happy Europe by calling Russia “the aggressor” within the struggle final weekend however he’s additionally demanding that Europe cease all purchases of Russian oil earlier than he’ll comply with impose heavier sanctions on Moscow.
On Israel, the British chief is beneath stress to lift the assault on Gaza with President Trump, who has expressed frustration over Israel’s air strikes towards Hamas leaders in Qatar however general has been supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Trump has additionally criticised some European nations over their choice to recognise a Palestinian state as “rewarding Hamas”, though he instructed reporters he didn’t thoughts Mr. Starmer “taking a position”.
“Those two geopolitical areas are likely to be the friction points in the conversations,” mentioned political analyst Aspinall. “There will be some awkward moments in those conversations.”
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