Starmer is not the first premier to have to deal with the mercurial Trump – Theresa May and Boris Johnson got there before him – but his meeting comes in a renewed, far more dangerous context.
The UK Government policy, of continuing to ramp up support to Ukraine so that the country does not lose further ground to Russia and is in a good position ahead of any future peace talks, is in stark contrast to the approach of the current US administration.
But Starmer’s inner circle emphasise that his main role is as a “bridge” between Europe and America – which, they argue, means he needs to be more restrained in openly criticising the White House administration than some EU leaders.
Ed Arnold of defence think-tank Rusi said: “Starmer must appeal to Trump’s ego and emotions and make a strong case for what will happen to his reputation and standing if he gets played by Russia during negotiations.”
Defence: pushing Britain’s credentials
The timing of the Prime Minister’s announcement that UK defence spending will rise by billions of pounds, just a day before he jets off to Washington, was no coincidence.
He will also seek to bind the US into Nato – having rejected the idea, floated by Emmanuel Macron, that the transatlantic alliance is no longer the best way to guarantee the security of this continent.
When May first met Trump in 2017, she managed to extract from him a promise that he would honour the central Nato commitment of coming to the aid of another member under attack – Starmer would be delighted to match that achievement.
But there is another problem for Starmer: Trump now says that he regards VAT as a form of tariff, meaning that he is threatening to slap a “reciprocal” 20 per cent levy on imports from Britain.
This is where Starmer’s plan to play on the President’s love of the royal family, and his own British family roots, may be crucial. He wants Trump to see the UK as not just one partner among many, but a privileged ally.
Chagos: hope it goes unmentioned
The deal to give up British sovereignty over the remote Chagos Islands is on hold pending fears over the future of the UK/US military base located there.
If the issue does end up on the agenda, the arguments the Prime Minister is likely to make were previewed earlier this month in an article for The i Paper by former Foreign Office chief Simon McDonald.
Avoiding a tariff war is the Government’s immediate priority when it comes to transatlantic trade – but ministers would also like to start progress towards a full-blown free-trade agreement in future.
But in his initial conversations with Trump, the Prime Minister will seek to avoid having to make any commitments on tricky topics like accepting US agricultural standards or letting American firms bid for NHS contracts.
Middle East: encouraging peace
Starmer knows he can have little impact on Trump’s thinking about this issue, but is nonetheless keen to ensure that Israel remains under pressure to act within international humanitarian law.
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