US President Donald Trump wrapped up his historic second state visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday saying he was “tremendously thankful” for the pomp and pageantry but some key differences between him and Prime Minister Keir Starmer remain.
When asked about the lack of progress in brokering a deal to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “let me down.”
Starmer said he and Trump had discussed how to “decisively increase the pressure on Putin” and that Trump had “led the way here.”
Trump has also not made good on threats to impose new sanctions on Russia and King Charles, in his state banquet speech Wednesday night, offered Trump a gentle nudge, noting “as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”
While Starmer has played a major part in European efforts to shore up US support for Ukraine, Trump’s visit offered few major advancements,
The British government has also grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
Starmer said the situation was “a humanitarian catastrophe” as he acknowledged a divide with the president on recognising a Palestinian state.
Trump’s opinion on the issue diverges from that of Starmer but in a sign that the charm offensive on the US president had worked, the president’s disagreement was atypically cordial.
“I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” Trump said, adding that “it’s one of our few disagreement, actually.”
Starmer said in July that the UK plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and takes steps toward long-term peace.
There was disagreement, too, over immigration policy.
Trump urged Britain to take a harder line and insisted he had made clear to Starmer that when too many people enter illegally, it “destroys countries from within.”
“You have people coming in and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use,” Trump said.
More than 30,000 people have made the crossing so far this year, a decrease on the 37,000 who arrived last year.
Tech deal
Trump and Starmer signed what both sides hailed as a historic agreement on science and technology and they held a roundtable with global business leaders where they suggested the deal could mean significant job gains.
Britain said US companies had pledged £150 billion (€172 billion) in investment in the UK, including £90 billion (€103 billion) from investment firm Blackstone in the next decade.
Investment will also flow the other way, including almost £40 billion (€45 billion) by pharmaceutical firm GSK in the US.
UK officials say the deal will bring thousands of jobs and billions in investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.
It includes a UK arm of Stargate, a Trump-backed AI infrastructure project led by OpenAI, and a host of AI data centres around the UK.
British officials said they have not agreed to scrap a digital services tax or water down internet regulation to get the deal, some details of which have yet to be announced.
“The bond between our countries is like no other anywhere in the world,” Trump said at the prime minister’s official country residence, Chequers.
Starmer said that “time and time again, it is British and American men and women, side by side, changing the path of history and turning it towards our values, towards freedom, democracy and the rule of law.”
At the signing ceremony for the agreement meant to promote tech investment, Starmer referred to the Republican president as “my friend, our friend” and spoke of “leaders who respect each other and leaders who genuinely like each other.”
The mutual admiration followed King Charles and Queen Camilla’s feting of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, including the biggest military honour guard ever assembled for a state visit.
Trump called the king and queen “two fantastic people” and said he was “grateful beyond words” for the hospitality.