Britain and the US are to open talks on a new trade deal, following discussions in the White House between Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, the US president. Mr Starmer also said Britain would be prepared to put “boots on the ground and planes in the air” in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, following the two leaders' talks.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Mr Starmer’s crucial meeting with Mr Trump appeared to get off to a positive start, as the British prime minister handed the US president a letter from King Charles inviting him for an unprecedented second full state visit to the UK.
Mr Trump suggested he would accept the invitation, as he praised the king and the “special” prime minister, who has launched a big diplomatic effort to build a close relationship with the president.
It seemed on Thursday that Mr Starmer’s efforts may have begun to pay off, as Mr Trump suggested ahead of their formal talks that he was minded to “go along” with a proposed UK deal to hand the Chagos Islands, where they have a joint military base, back to Mauritius.
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The formal discussions between the two leaders were expected to focus on trade, with Britain hoping to swerve US trade tariffs, and also defence and security, including the future of Ukraine.
Speaking to UK and US reporters in the Oval Office ahead of their formal meeting, Mr Trump said he believed a peace deal struck with Russia would hold. Mr Starmer, meanwhile, said any peace deal needed to be long-lasting, as he praised the president for intervening to create discussions.
On the issue of tariffs, Mr Starmer emphasised to the president that he believed they had a “balanced” trade relationship, with the US slightly in surplus. When asked if the UK could avoid the 25 per cent tariffs that Mr Trump has promised to levy on goods from Europe, the president said he would “take a look” at the issue.
On Ukraine, Mr Trump said he would “try to get back” as much as he could of the invaded country’s land from Russia.
The atmosphere at the two leaders’ preliminary meeting was warm and personable, with the two ladling praise on each other. Mr Starmer, however, issued a mild rebuke to US vice president JD Vance, who was sitting just feet away, over the issue of free speech.
Mr Vance had previously suggested that free speech was under threat in the UK. But Mr Starmer said in the Oval Office that he was “very proud of [the UK’s] history” on free speech.
