Starmer-Trump talks could be landmark moment - and join pantheon of UK-US summits

In years to come, it whitethorn go known simply arsenic Chequers '25.

But today's acme betwixt Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, astatine the premier minister's state retreat, has the imaginable to beryllium a landmark infinitesimal successful UK-US history.

There's plentifulness of scope for it to spell horribly wrong, of course: implicit Jeffrey Epstein, Sir Keir's pledge to recognise Palestine, the president's lukewarm enactment for Ukraine, the Chagos Islands sell-off, oregon escaped speech.

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But connected the different hand, it could beryllium a triumph for the alleged "special relationship" - arsenic good arsenic relations betwixt these 2 improbable allies - with deals connected commercialized and tariffs and an improbably blossoming bromance.

Either way, this Chequers acme - connected the president's historical 2nd authorities sojourn to the UK - could crook retired to beryllium 1 of the astir notable one-to-one meetings betwixt PM and president successful 20th and 21st period history.

Sir Keir and Mr Trump person already met respective times, astir precocious at The Donald's play courses successful Scotland successful precocious July and, earlier that, memorably astatine the White House successful February.

It was past that the PM theatrically pulled King Charles's invitation for this week's sojourn retired of his wrong pouch successful a spectacular stunt surely masterminded by the "Prince of Darkness", rotation doctor-turned-ambassador (until past week, anyway) Peter Mandelson.

And implicit the years, determination person been immoderate singular and historical meetings and relationships, bully and bad, betwixt UK premier ministers and American presidents.

From Churchill and Roosevelt to Eden and Eisenhower, from Macmillan and JFK to Wilson and Johnson, from Thatcher and Reagan, to Blair and Bush, and from Cameron and Obama… to Starmer and Trump, perhaps?

A little past of relationships betwixt PMs and presidents

Throughout UK-US history, determination person been galore examples of a bully narration and adjacent enslaved betwixt a Labour premier curate and a Republican president. And vice versa.

Also, it has not ever been rosy betwixt premier ministers and presidents of the 2 sister parties. There person been large fallings out: implicit Suez, Vietnam and the Caribbean land of Grenada.

Leading up to this Chequers summit, the omens person not been good.

First, the PM was forced to sack his captious nexus betwixt Downing Street and the Oval Office, Lord Mandelson, implicit his relationship with Epstein.

Second, the president arrived successful the UK to a barrage of disapproval from London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who accused him of doing much than anyone other to promote the intolerant acold close crossed the globe.

And third, successful a video-link to the 'Unite the Kingdom' march successful London past weekend, one-time Trump state Elon Musk called for a dissolution of parliament and a alteration of government and appeared to promote convulsive protest.

Churchill and FDR

Back successful the mid-20th century, the godfather of the "special relationship" was wartime person Sir Winston Churchill, though it was 1946 earlier helium archetypal coined the operation successful a code successful the US, successful which helium besides spoke of the "iron curtain".

It was successful 1941 that Churchill held 1 of the astir important meetings with a US president, Franklin D Roosevelt, astatine a Washington league to crippled the decision of Germany aft Japan's onslaught connected Pearl Harbour.

Churchill arrived successful Washington successful December aft a unsmooth 10-day voyage connected a Royal Navy battleship and stayed 3 weeks, spending Christmas successful the White House and connected Boxing Day becoming the archetypal UK PM to code Congress.

The adjacent enslaved betwixt Churchill and Roosevelt was described arsenic a relationship that saved the world. It was adjacent claimed 1 crushed the brace got connected famously was that they were some renowned cigar smokers.

Churchill and Truman

After the warfare ended, Churchill's "special relationship" speech, describing the confederation betwixt the UK and US, was delivered astatine Westminster College, successful Fulton, Missouri successful March 1946.

The code was introduced by President Harry Truman, a Democrat, with whom Churchill had attended the Potsdam Conference successful 1945 to negociate the presumption of ending the war.

These 2 were besides adjacent friends and would constitute handwritten letters to each different and code 1 different arsenic Harry and Winston. Mr Truman was besides the lone US president to sojourn Churchill astatine Chartwell, his household home.

Eden and Eisenhower

But the transatlantic cosiness came to an abrupt extremity successful the 1950s, erstwhile Churchill's Conservative successor Anthony Eden fell retired severely with the Republican president Dwight Eisenhower implicit the Suez Crisis.

Mr Eden did sojourn Mr Eisenhower successful Washington successful January 1956, and the authoritative grounds of the gathering describes the treatment arsenic focussing connected "policy differences and Cold War problems".

Macmillan and JFK

But successful the aboriginal 1960s, a Conservative premier curate and a Democrat president with seemingly thing successful common, the stuffy and diffident Harold Macmillan, and the charismatic John F Kennedy, repaired the damage.

They were credited with rescuing the peculiar narration aft the rupture of the Suez Crisis, astatine a clip of precocious tensions astir the world: the Berlin Wall, the Cuban rocket crisis, and the menace of atomic weapons.

The 2 leaders exchanged handwritten notes, arsenic good arsenic Christmas and day cards. The Macmillans visited the Kennedys doubly astatine the White House, successful 1961 and 1962 - the 2nd described successful the US arsenic a "momentous" gathering connected the Cuban crisis.

The narration was abruptly chopped abbreviated successful 1963 by "Supermac's" demise prompted by the Profumo scandal, and JFK's assassination successful Dallas. But aft her husband's death, Jacqueline Kennedy was said to person had a father-daughter narration with Macmillan, who was said to person been enchanted with her.

Wilson and LBJ

After JFK, the alleged "special relationship" cooled erstwhile again - and nether a Labour premier curate and Democrat president - erstwhile Harold Wilson rejected unit from Lyndon B Johnson to nonstop British troops to Vietnam.

Mr Wilson became premier curate successful 1964, conscionable 2 months aft LBJ sent US troops. His archetypal overseas travel was to the White House, successful December 1964, and the PM returned to archer his cabinet: "Lyndon Johnson is begging maine adjacent to nonstop a bagpipe set to Vietnam."

Thatcher and Reagan

And adjacent though Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were ideological soulmates, Thatcher was furious erstwhile she wasn't consulted earlier the Americans invaded Grenada successful 1983 to topple a Marxist regime.

Even worse, according to Mrs Thatcher allies, a twelvemonth earlier, Reagan had stayed neutral during the Falklands war. Reagan said helium couldn't recognize wherefore 2 US allies were arguing implicit "that small ice-cold clump of onshore down there".

But their narration didn't conscionable survive, it flourished, including astatine 1 memorable sojourn to the statesmanlike retreat astatine Camp David successful 1984, wherever President Reagan famously drove Mrs T astir successful a play buggy.

They would besides memorably creation unneurotic astatine White House balls.

Blair and Bush

Camp David was besides wherever successful 2001 the Republican president George W Bush and Labour's Sir Tony Blair embarked connected the defining ngo of his premiership: the Iraq War. It was to beryllium to beryllium an historical encounter.

The warfare was the turning constituent of Sir Tony's decennary successful Number 10. He was branded a liar implicit claims astir Saddam Hussein's "weapons of wide destruction", helium was vilified by the Labour left, and it was the opening of the extremity for him.

And to adhd to the suspicion among Sir Tony's critics that helium was Mr Bush's poodle, successful 2006 astatine a G8 acme successful St Petersburg - that wouldn't hap present - a rogue microphone picked up the president calling, "Yo, Blair! How are you doing?"

Cameron and Obama

Some years later, the Tory premier curate sometimes called the "heir to Blair", David Cameron, bonded implicit burgers with the Democrat president Barack Obama, serving a BBQ luncheon to subject families successful the Downing Street garden. They besides played play astatine the exclusive Grove edifice successful 2016.

They seemed improbable allies: Obama, the archetypal African-American president, and Cameron, the 19th aged Etonian premier minister. It was claimed they had a "transatlantic bromance" successful office. "Yes, helium sometimes calls maine bro," Lord Cameron admitted.

But not everything went well.

The Tory PM persuaded Mr Obama to assistance the Remain run successful the 2016 Brexit referendum, erstwhile helium claimed the UK would beryllium "at the backmost of the queue" connected commercialized deals with the US, if it near the EU. It backfired, of course.

Now it's Sir Keir Starmer's crook to tread a delicate and perchance hazardous governmental tightrope arsenic helium entertains the latest - and astir unconventional - US president.

The top dangers for Sir Keir volition beryllium a quality league successful the afternoon, successful the gardens, if the upwind permits.

Good luck, arsenic they say, with that.

Before then, there's the imaginable for what the Americans telephone a "pool spray", 1 of those impromptu, rambling and unpredictable Q&As we've seen truthful galore times successful the Oval Office.

For Sir Keir, what could perchance spell wrong?

Chequers '25 could beryllium memorable and notable, similar truthful galore erstwhile meetings betwixt a PM and a president. But not needfully for the close reasons for this UK premier minister.