Trump meets with Starmer on the last day of his UK state visit
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting Donald Trump at his country home, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, marking the second day of the former US President's state visit to the UK.
Yesterday, Trump was the guest of honour at a lavish state banquet in Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III. Major American firms, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Tim Cook of Apple, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, were among the guests at the banquet.
The leaders are taking part in a bilateral meeting and business reception, with plans to sign a technology prosperity deal. This agreement aims to offer major investment by US tech firms in Britain, with companies like Nvidia, whose GPUs are crucial for AI model training, and other leading AI developers expected to be involved.
However, differences of opinion over the situation in the Middle East may prove difficult for the two leaders. Mr Starmer has delayed his plans to recognize a Palestinian state until after Trump's visit concludes.
The press conference with the two leaders could prove to be a moment of jeopardy, as questions about Lord Peter Mandelson and Trump's links to the late Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the war in Ukraine, may arise.
Overnight, Mr. Starmer announced the prospect of £150 billion flowing into the UK from US firms like Blackstone and Palantir. Questions have arisen over what American companies may want in return for their investment, with suggestions of a potential reduction or elimination of a tax on digital services.
YouGov polling suggests nearly half of the British population (45%) believe it was wrong to invite Donald Trump for the visit, while 30% think it was right to do so. Thousands marched through London yesterday in protest against Trump's state visit.
Today's events are focused on politics, after the Royal pageantry of the previous day. At the banquet, Donald Trump paid a heartfelt tribute to America's relationship with the UK, claiming the nations were "two notes in one chord".
Trump left Windsor Castle this morning and arrived at Chequers by Marine One helicopter. Hopes that a deal aimed at reducing steel tariffs on British imports to the US could be hammered out during the state visit have apparently fallen by the wayside.
In the early hours of this morning, Donald Trump posted on social media to welcome the news of Jimmy Kimmel being taken off air indefinitely.
Additional reporting by Tommy Meskill.
