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Keir Starmer gives Donald Trump state visit invitation from the King | Keir Starmer gives Donald Trump state visit invitation from the King |
(32 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump has been invited for a second state visit by the King. | US President Donald Trump has been invited for a second state visit by the King. |
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his trip to the White House to present Trump with an invitation letter from King Charles. | |
Sir Keir said the president's last state visit in 2019 had been a "tremendous success" and that the invite for a second visit was "truly historic" and "unprecedented". | Sir Keir said the president's last state visit in 2019 had been a "tremendous success" and that the invite for a second visit was "truly historic" and "unprecedented". |
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after reading the letter, Trump said he accepted the invite and that it would be an "honour" to visit the "fantastic" country. | Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after reading the letter, Trump said he accepted the invite and that it would be an "honour" to visit the "fantastic" country. |
He added that King Charles was a "beautiful man, a wonderful man". | He added that King Charles was a "beautiful man, a wonderful man". |
Traditionally second-term US presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been offered tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle. | |
King Charles' letter, which Trump showed to the cameras, read: "Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom. | |
"As you will know this is unprecedented by a US President. That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content. | |
"In so doing, working together, I know we will further enhance the special relationship between our two countries of which we are both so proud." | |
The letter proposed meeting in Scotland at either Dumfries House or Balmoral. | |
Trump joked that he would have to check if the signature was real. | |
Sir Keir gave Trump the letter as the two leaders took questions from reporters ahead of talks expected to cover topics including the war in Ukraine. | |
Speaking on the plane to the US, Sir Keir told reporters that a peace deal would not stop Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine again, unless the US were able to provide security guarantees. | |
Asked if the US could provide such support, Trump said a proposed deal with Ukraine over access to critical minerals would provide "a backstop". | |
"We are a backstop because we will be over there, we will be working in the country," he said. | |
Pressed over whether he would approve the UK's potential deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Trump said: "We're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well. | |
"I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country," | |
In an interview before travelling to the US, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the controversial deal would not go ahead unless the US supported it. |