Sir Keir Starmer will host Donald Trump at his grace and favour country home on Thursday, as the Prime Minister continues his campaign to woo the US president during his unprecedented second state visit to Britain.
The Prime Minister is hoping to keep the focus of the visit on an influx of American investment into the UK, all while both his Government and the Trump administration are plagued by scandals related to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Overnight, Sir Keir announced the prospect of some £150 billion flowing into the UK from big US firms such as Blackstone and Palantir.
As Sir Keir and Mr Trump meet at Chequers – the Prime Minister’s estate in Buckinghamshire – they also plan to sign a technology prosperity deal, touted as offering major investment by US tech firms in Britain, that will help to develop its AI capabilities.
Questions have, however, begun to arise over what American companies may want in return, with suggestions a tax on digital services – which largely impacts on US companies – could be reduced or eliminated.
Hopes that a deal aimed at reducing steel tariffs on British imports to the US could be hammered out during the state visit, meanwhile, appear to have fallen by the wayside, media reports have suggested.
Thursday afternoon’s press conference with the two leaders could prove to be the moment of most jeopardy for ensuring the state visit concludes smoothly, as questions about Lord Peter Mandelson and Mr Trump’s links to the late Epstein will likely arise.
Differences of opinion over the situation in the Middle East may also prove difficult for the two men.
Sir Keir has delayed his plans to recognise a Palestinian state until after Mr Trump’s visit concludes to avoid open disagreement over the matter, the Times reported.
On Wednesday evening, Mr Trump was the guest of honour at a lavish state banquet in Windsor Castle, hosted by the King.
There he paid a heartfelt tribute to America’s relationship with the UK, saying the word “special does not begin to do it justice”, and claimed the nations were “two notes in one chord”.
Among those at the banquet were the chiefs of major American firms, including big names from the tech world Sam Altman of OpenAI, Tim Cook of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch was also a guest, despite being sued by the US president over a report linking him to Epstein.
On Wednesday, thousands marched through London in protest against the US president’s state visit.
YouGov polling suggests nearly half of the British population (45%) believe it was wrong to invite Mr Trump for the visit, while 30% think it was right to do so.
