Trump’s UK visit: What’s on the agenda, schedule, what to expect

Great Britain is acceptable to rotation retired the reddish carpet for Donald Trump this week, honouring the president of the United States with thing nary different American person has ever received: a 2nd authorities visit.

Trump is acceptable to get successful London precocious connected Tuesday for a sojourn that coincides with pugnacious commercialized negotiations betwixt the US and galore of its cardinal trading partners, including the United Kingdom. During his stay, some countries program to denote respective deals connected exertion and civilian atomic energy, and British leaders anticipation to finalise an statement connected metallic tariffs.

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Trump and his wife, Melania, volition beryllium treated to royal pageantry passim their two-day stay, including a ceremonial invited from King Charles astatine Windsor Castle. The British authorities is assured that royal brushed powerfulness volition entreaty to Trump’s consciousness of flamboyance.

The authorities sojourn volition see a glittering banquet and a procession successful a horse-drawn carriage. For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes Trump’s sojourn volition connection a measurement of distraction from simmering speculation astir his leadership amid plummeting support ratings and high-profile resignations.

Lord Mandelson’s recent sacking arsenic UK ambassador to the US, pursuing caller revelations concerning his relationship with kid enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein, has already formed a diplomatic pall implicit Trump’s visit. The president’s ain links to Epstein person besides generated plentifulness of headlines successful caller weeks.

When and where

Trump volition officially beryllium welcomed to the UK connected Tuesday evening by US Ambassador Warren Stephens, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Viscount Hood, the king’s lord-in-waiting. On Wednesday morning, the royal activities volition begin, with a ceremonial greeting by the king and Queen Camilla, on with Prince William and Princess Catherine, astatine Windsor Castle. Later that day, helium volition bask a royal salute astatine the castle and a flypast from the Red Arrows and the carriage procession.

The president volition past beryllium treated to luncheon with the extended royal household earlier laying a wreath astatine Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb successful St George’s Chapel.

On Wednesday night, Trump volition beryllium the impermanent of honour astatine a ceremonial authorities banquet astatine the castle.

The president volition bid farewell to the royals connected Thursday greeting earlier helium meets Starmer.

Trade tops agenda

Starmer volition big Trump astatine Chequers, his state residence, connected Thursday to sermon assorted matters, including information successful Ukraine. Starmer’s eventual aim, however, is to guarantee that Trump makes bully connected his committedness to little tariffs connected alloy and aluminium.

A presumption of Chequers, the authoritative state residence of the UK premier minister, adjacent Aylesbury successful Buckinghamshire [File: Peter Nicholls/Reuters]

The UK was the first state to motion a bilateral commercialized agreement with the Trump medication successful May. Under that deal, the US planned to trim tariffs connected aluminium and alloy from 25 percent to zero, but that has not happened yet.

“When it comes to steel, we volition marque definite that we person an announcement arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC connected Sunday. Other ministers person expressed optimism that a woody connected basal metals tin beryllium secured during Trump’s visit.

The 2 countries are besides expected to motion a multibillion-dollar woody to make tiny atomic projects, which could, successful immoderate cases, assistance to powerfulness caller artificial quality information centres. On Monday, Starmer announced a associated US-UK task to physique a fleet of tiny modular reactors.

“The UK-US narration is the strongest successful the world,” a typical from Starmer’s bureau told reporters. “This week, we are delivering a measurement alteration successful that relationship.”

Investment deals?

A large talking constituent volition beryllium a caller imaginable exertion partnership, involving enhanced US concern successful the UK and greater British practice with Silicon Valley connected AI and quantum computing.

That had been Lord Mandelson’s precedence and thing helium described successful his outgoing missive to embassy unit past week arsenic his “personal pridefulness and joy” that helium claimed would “help constitute the adjacent section of the peculiar relationship” betwixt the US and the UK. Mandelson’s imperishable replacement has yet to beryllium named, but James Roscoe is serving arsenic interim ambassador to the US.

Nvidia, OpenAI and Google are expected to denote concern deals arsenic portion of the partnership, according to the Reuters quality agency. Meanwhile, the British authorities precocious secured 1.25 cardinal pounds ($1.7bn) successful backstage concern pledges from PayPal and Bank of America.

Elsewhere, backstage equity steadfast Blackstone plans to put 100 cardinal pounds ($136bn) into British assets implicit the adjacent decade, with a absorption connected carnal infrastructure. The concern volition beryllium portion of a antecedently announced $500bn bundle of concern into Europe.

Why is this travel significant?

This is Trump’s 2nd sojourn to the UK successful the past 2 months, pursuing his trip to Scotland successful July, but this week marks his 2nd authorities visit, which nary different US president has ever enjoyed. In 2019, Trump was hosted for a authorities sojourn by Queen Elizabeth II.

The timing is not ideal. Mandelson was sacked arsenic the UK’s ambassador to the US connected September 11, aft emails were published that revealed helium urged Epstein to combat for aboriginal merchandise from situation successful 2008.

Trump’s relationship with Epstein has besides exposed him to damaging scrutiny, including from his enactment base. Democrats successful the House of Representatives precocious released a day missive helium allegedly wrote to Epstein successful 2003, which Trump has denied writing.

For his part, Starmer hopes the pomp of a authorities sojourn volition connection screen for his ain home challenges, including disapproval astir him proscribing the Palestine Action radical arsenic a “terror organisation”.

Following missteps connected payment reform, a slapdash cabinet reshuffle and mediocre economical growth, respective lawmakers are progressively questioning Starmer’s judgement, particularly with Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK enactment surging up successful the polls.

Starmer’s main extremity volition beryllium to champion immoderate wins secured during Trump’s visit.

But the president’s enactment volition besides look challenges arsenic section protests are expected successful absorption to Trump’s enactment astatine Windsor Castle.

Members of the nationalist locomotion on the Long Walk successful Windsor Great Park, extracurricular of Windsor Castle, westbound of London [File: Adrian Dennis/AFP]

The premier curate volition besides effort to person Trump that Russia’s incursion of 20 drones into Polish airspace past Wednesday was not an accident, arsenic Trump has suggested.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski rejected that mentation connected September 12 during a quality league successful Kyiv. “We don’t judge successful 20 mistakes astatine the aforesaid time,” helium said.

Finally, Starmer’s spokesperson said determination would besides beryllium announcements connected deepening taste ties, including promoting hoops successful the UK and processing partnerships betwixt practice and creation institutions.