By Steve Holland, Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill
LONDON (Reuters) -Donald Trump meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday for talks designed to focus the U.S. leader’s unprecedented second state visit firmly on global affairs rather than domestic political problems.
After a day of pomp and ceremony in which Trump rode in a carriage with King Charles and feasted at a state banquet, the U.S. president and Starmer will celebrate the unveiling of a 150 billion pound ($205 billion) package of U.S. investment into Britain.
The deals, covering areas such as technology, energy and life sciences, will offer a renewal of the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the two nations, something Starmer has worked hard to cultivate since Trump became leader in January.
MEETING IS NOT WITHOUT PERILS
But the meeting is not without perils. Later on Thursday, the two leaders will hold a press conference, when journalists could quiz both over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Starmer was forced to sack Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. last week after his close ties with Epstein were documented and Trump’s relationship with the late financier has also come under scrutiny.
“For Starmer, he is having a difficult domestic time and he needs a positive international narrative and to bring Trump on board on key issues,” said Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think tank.
“For Trump … it is important to him to show there is value in having close relations with him. For both sides, they realise there is a lot to be gained.”
Trump, speaking alongside Charles at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, described his visit as “truly one of the highest honours of my life”.
Starmer hopes this sentiment will continue into Thursday and deter the U.S. leader from straying into more sensitive areas, such as Britain’s online safety laws and position on Israel.
Instead, Starmer will want to champion the deals secured between the two countries, including a new technology pact with companies from Microsoft to Nvidia, Google and OpenAI pledging 31 billion pounds ($42 billion) in investments over the next few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy.
The British leader appears to have resigned himself to not getting any further reduction on steel and aluminium tariffs, according to comments from an official playing down the prospect. But Starmer can say Britain is increasingly a destination for U.S. investment, aligned to its financial services, tech and energy sectors.
STARMER TO TURN TALK TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Starmer will also turn the focus to foreign affairs on Thursday when he hosts Trump at his Chequers country residence, hoping to persuade the U.S. leader to take stronger action against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump pleased Europe by calling Russia “the aggressor” in the war last weekend but he is also demanding that Europe stop all purchases of Russian oil before he will agree to impose heavier sanctions on Moscow.
On Israel, the British leader is under pressure to raise the assault on Gaza with Trump, who has expressed frustration over Israel’s air strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar but overall has been supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump has also criticised some European countries over their decision to recognise a Palestinian state as “rewarding Hamas”, although he told reporters he didn’t mind Starmer “taking a position”.
“Those two geopolitical areas are likely to be the friction points in the conversations,” said political analyst Aspinall. “There will be some awkward moments in those conversations.”
($1 = 0.7328 pounds)
(Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Lincoln Feast.)
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