Starmer to fulfill Trump to debate Gaza and commerce, as minister suggests UK may recognise Palestinian state by subsequent election
Good morning. Keir Starmer has a lead function within the Trump present at present. He’s flying to Scotland for a gathering with the US president, who’s combining a {golfing} vacation with conferences with leaders like Starmer, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Fee, and John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister.
The von der Leyen talks culminated within the announcement of what Trump described as a “highly effective” commerce deal (albeit one which solely means the Trump tariffs gained’t injury US-EU commerce as a lot as they in any other case may need executed; it isn’t an enchancment on the established order ante.)
Starmer is ready to spend so much of time with Trump at present. He’s arriving earlier than lunch, and he’s not flying again to London till this night, after what No 10 describes as a “non-public engagement” (dinner?) at Trump’s golf course in Aberdeenshire. There’s a bilateral scheduled, however Trump doesn’t like lengthy conferences and Downing Road has not mentioned a lot about what else the 2 males will probably be doing. Starmer has reportedly been figuring out learn how to reply if Trump invitations him to play a spherical of golf. Based on my colleague Eleni Courea, who’s Scotland protecting the journey, that’s one humiliation that Trump gained’t be inflicting on the PM, who is an efficient footballer however a complete novice at Trump’s favorite sport. However Starmer may also be flying to Aberdeen with the president on Air Drive One, we anticipate. In White Home phrases, that may be a token of respect.
Usually when political leaders meet, they communicate to the press afterwards, to temporary on what they’ve agreed. In the present day Trump and Starmer will maintain their fundamental occasion with reporters earlier than their talks and so we aren’t anticipating them to announce something of substance at this level. As an alternative, we could find yourself with Trump giving us considered one of his stream-of-consciousness peformances. Whereas he has been in Scotland, these have embody rants about European immigration (“you bought to cease this horrible invasion that’s occurring to Europe – immigration is killing Europe”) and wind generators (“after they begin to rust and decay in eight years you may’t actually flip them off, you may’t burn them – the entire thing is a con job”).
At one level it was anticipated that Trump and Starmer would use the assembly at present to tie up unfastened ends within the US-UK commerce deal, notably referring to metal tariffs. However Jonathan Reynolds, the enterprise secretary, has been giving interviews this morning and he advised the In the present day programme he “wouldn’t anticipate bulletins from this go to” on commerce.
As an alternative, the state of affairs in Gaza often is the focus of the Trump/Starmer talks and, as Pippa Crerar studies, Starmer will urge Trump to make use of his affect with Israel to get Benjamin Netanyahu to renew peace talks with Hamas.
This can be a troublesome topic for Starmer as a result of the PM is coming underneath growing stress from members of his personal cupboard to recognise the state of Palestine. Doing this might anger Trump, who takes the Israeli view that this might quantity to rewarding Hamas for the 7 October assault. And it could not have any quick sensible influence on the state of affairs in Gaza. However Labour MPs are more and more coming spherical to the view that, as Wes Streeting, the well being secretary put it, it’s best to recognise the state of Palestine “whereas there’s a state of Palestine left to recognise”. As Mark Malloch Brown, a former UN deputy secretary-general and a minister in Gordon Brown’s authorities, advised the Observer yesterday, recognition would additionally ship a message to Israel that “you may’t bomb your manner out of the truth that you simply’re going to have to barter with the Palestinians.”
In interviews this morning Reynolds mentioned that the UK was dedicated to recognising the state of Palestine; it was only a matter of timing, he mentioned.
He advised ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
It’s a case of when, not if.
It’s about how we use this second, as a result of you may solely do it as soon as to have a significant breakthrough.
And on Sky Information he went additional, implying he expects recognition to occur throughout this parliament.
On this parliament, sure. I imply, if it delivers the breakthrough that we want.
However don’t neglect, we will solely do that as soon as. If we do it in a manner which is tokenistic, doesn’t produce the top to this battle, the place can we go to subsequent?
Right here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Rachel Reeves, chancellor, is on a go to in Bournemouth.
11am: Nigel Farage, Reform UK chief, holds a press convention with “a particular visitor”. Based on the Day by day Mail, he’s Colin Sutton, a former detective chief inspector, who’s becoming a member of the social gathering as against the law adviser.
11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.
Round midday: Keir Starmer is because of arrive at President Trump’s Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, Scotland, the place the 2 leaders are on account of communicate to the media at round 12.30pm. They are going to maintain a proper assembly within the afternoon earlier than flying to Aberdeen, the place Trump owns one other golf course and the place they’re anticipated to have a non-public dinner.
Round lunchtime: Kemi Badenoch is predicted to report a media clip.
Afternoon: The Cease Trump Coalition holds a protest outdoors Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course.
Late afternoon: Angela Rayner, deputy PM, hosts a reception for the Lionesses following victory within the Girls’s Euro 2025.
Additionally, David Lammy, overseas secretary, is in New York for a gathering on a two-state answer for Israel and Palestine.
If you wish to contact me, please publish a message beneath the road when feedback are open (usually between 10am and 3pm in the mean time), or message me on social media. I can’t learn all of the messages BTL, however in the event you put “Andrew” in a message geared toward me, I’m extra more likely to see it as a result of I seek for posts containing that phrase.
If you wish to flag one thing up urgently, it’s best to make use of social media. You may attain me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, however particular person Guardian journalists are there, I nonetheless have my account, and in the event you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I’ll see it and reply if mandatory.
I discover it very useful when readers level out errors, even minor typos. No error is simply too small to appropriate. And I discover your questions very attention-grabbing too. I can’t promise to answer to all of them, however I’ll attempt to reply to as many as I can, both BTL or typically within the weblog.
Share
Up to date at 04.50 EDT
Key occasions
Present key occasions solely
Please activate JavaScript to make use of this characteristic
Swinney geese query about value of policing Trump’s go to to Scotland, however says VIP guests should be protected
A reader asks:
Is there any indication of the prices related to policing an American non-public particular person holidaying on his personal property in Scotland?
I’ve not seen any figures. However that is what John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, mentioned when he was requested how a lot the policing operation value on BBC Breakfast this morning.
All of that will probably be labored out and we’ll deal with that with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, and we’re speaking to the UK authorities about these questions, however it’s essential that we have now a safe policing operation.
It’s additionally essential that members of the general public who want to categorical their viewpoint, who wish to protest concerning the go to or about different points, are capable of go about their train of their democratic proper to protest. That’s precisely what they’ve been capable of do since Friday, and that’s the best way it needs to be.
Swinney additionally mentioned the federal government needs to be paying to guard Trump.
The safety preparations have gone nicely since President Trump arrived on Friday, and that’s appropriately, as a result of we’ve acquired an obligation to ensure that when we have now main worldwide guests, after they come to Scotland, that they’re protected and capable of go about their actions.
ShareAn advert van on the streets of Aberdeen this morning highlighting Donald Trump’s relationship with the disgraced financier and youngster intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. {Photograph}: Hannah McKay/ReutersShare
Swinney says SNP want majority in subsequent 12 months’s Holyrood elections to carry second independence referendum
In a column for the Day by day Document, John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has mentioned that, if the SNP get a majority in subsequent 12 months’s Holyrood elections, that will probably be a mandate for a second independence referendum. He mentioned:
Over the following few months, the SNP will set out some radical insurance policies that we all know will rework Scotland – formidable concepts that may be realised with the powers of independence.
For us to realize that independence, step one is to safe a authorized referendum recognised by all. In 2011 we secured that dependable and reliable route when the SNP achieved a majority of seats at Holyrood.
That’s the solely mechanism that has been confirmed to ship such a vote – so that’s what we have to ship once more.
That’s the reason I’ve submitted a movement to the SNP convention proposing that we work to ship a majority of SNP MSPs within the Scottish parliament to safe that referendum on independence.
Even when the SNP does win a majority subsequent 12 months, the Scottish authorities would wish the consent of Westminster to carry legally-binding independence referendum. However after the SNP victory in 2011, the then PM, David Cameron, determined it was not possible for the UK authorities to dam a referendum requested by the vast majority of MSPs.
In response, the anti-independence Scotland in Union marketing campaign mentioned this intervention confirmed “exactly why we have to do away with the SNP on the subsequent election”.
Share
John Swinney says he’ll use assembly with Trump to ask for Scotch whisky to be exempt from US tariffs
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, will reportedly be becoming a member of Donald Trump for dinner in Aberdeen this night, forward of a bilateral assembly they’ve having tomorrow.
In interviews this morning forward of the conferences, Swinney mentioned that he would ask the president to exempt Scotch whisky from US commerce tariffs. He advised BBC Breakfast:
Tariffs are crucial for the Scottish economic system and clearly scotch whisky is a novel product.
It may well solely be produced in Scotland. It’s not a product that may be produced in some other a part of the world. So there’s a uniqueness about that, which I feel means there’s a case for it to be taken out of the tariffs association that’s now in place.
Clearly the commerce cope with america offers a level of stability for financial connections with america, however the utility of tariffs is growing the prices for the Scotch whisky trade. So considered one of my goals will probably be to make the case to President Trump that Scotch whiskey needs to be exempted from these tariffs …
The tariffs simply now are costing the trade about £4m every week, so it’s a really important burden on the trade.
Requested if his earlier declare that Trump’s name for the displacement of the Gazan folks out of the area amounted to “ethnic cleaning” would trigger issues when the 2 males met nose to nose, Swinney replied:
I feel what’s essential is that we concentrate on the options which can be required now, and the completely quick state of affairs is a necessity for a ceasefire and for humanitarian support to wish to circulation into Gaza in order that the folks of Gaza may be saved from the hunger that they face.
And I feel President Trump is ideally positioned. In truth, he’s maybe uniquely positioned to use that stress to Israel to make sure that there’s secure passage for humanitarian support to assist the folks of Gaza, who face a completely insufferable set of circumstances as a consequence of the battle.
And a key a part of that should be the applying of a sturdy ceasefire, the circulation of humanitarian support and the progress in direction of a two state answer within the Center East.
Share
Former senior detective to affix Reform UK as crime adviser
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, is holding a press convention now. There’s a dwell feed right here.
I’ll publish the details after Farage has completed.
That is what PA Media have filed concerning the Colin Sutton appointment.
A high ex-detective who spearheaded a sequence of excessive profile homicide investigations will be a part of Reform UK as its adviser on police and crime.
Colin Sutton, who led the investigation into serial killer Levi Bellfield, is to assist Nigel Farage’s social gathering develop its pledge to halve crime in 5 years.
Farage has mentioned he’ll spend £7bn on insurance policies in direction of this purpose, together with by recruiting 30,000 additional cops.
The Reform chief advised the Mail on Sunday newspaper that ex-police officer Mr Sutton can be a “enormous asset” to his social gathering.
Sutton advised the paper he would give all frontline officers tasers, reopen 300 closed police stations, and cease investigations into on-line arguments as a part of Reform’s policing provide.
The 2 males will seem collectively at a press convention on Monday morning.
Share
Keir Starmer’s aircraft has landed at Prestwick airport outdoors Glasgow, the BBC is reporting. Meaning he needs to be at Turnberry inside the hour.
Share
Listed below are extra photos from Turnberry this morning.
Law enforcement officials guarding the Trump Turnberry golf course. {Photograph}: Phil Noble/ReutersA police officer on the Trump Turnberry golf course this morning. {Photograph}: Andrew Milligan/PALaw enforcement officials on the Trump Turnberry. {Photograph}: Phil Noble/ReutersShare
Reynolds rejects Benjamin Netanyahu’s declare recognition of Palestinian statehood would reward Hamas terrorism
When President Macron introduced final week that France will formally recognise the state of Palestine in September, the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the choice. In a publish on social media, he mentioned:
Such a transfer rewards terror and dangers creating one other Iranian proxy, simply as Gaza turned.
A Palestinian state in these circumstances can be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — to not dwell in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians don’t search a state alongside Israel; they search a state as a substitute of Israel.
And, in an article for the Telegraph on the weekend, Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, reiterated the identical argument. She mentioned:
Palestinian recognition can be a reward for hostage-taking, for rape, for homicide, for burning harmless folks alive.
This morning, requested if he agreed with Netanyahu that recognising the state of Palestine would quantity to rewarding Hamas for the 7 October assault, Jonathan Reynolds, the enterprise secretary, replied”
No, I feel that isn’t the appropriate approach to characterise it.
All of us recognise that each Israelis and Palestinians want a two-state answer, regardless of how troublesome that’s. That requires a state to exist on either side.
This battle has clearly been going for a really lengthy time frame. However the scale of the horrific issues that we’re seeing – we’ve absolutely acquired to make use of this as a second to essentially transfer ahead on a two-state answer. And that’s how we wish to use recognition.
Share
Enterprise secretary Jonathan Reynolds says he doesn’t anticipate Trump/Starmer talks to result in commerce announcement at present
That is what Jonathan Reynolds, the enterprise secretary, advised BBC Breakfast this morning about how he doesn’t anticipate the Trump/Starmer talks at present to result in a choice on among the issues left unresolved within the US-UK commerce deal introduced earlier this 12 months. He mentioned:
We had been very glad to announce the breakthrough that we had a number of months in the past in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, that are actually essential to the UK economic system.
However we at all times mentioned it was job saved, however it wasn’t job executed. There’s extra to do.
The negotiations have been occurring each day since then. There’s a number of points to push a little bit bit additional at present.
We gained’t maybe have something to announce a decision of these talks, however there’s some sectors that we nonetheless have to resolve, notably round metal and aluminium, and there’s the broader dialog about what the US calls its reciprocal tariffs.
Reynolds delivered an identical message on the In the present day programme. (See 9.30am.)
Share
UK is caught in a ‘debt doom loop’, says high investor
One of many world’s most outstanding hedge fund traders, Ray Dalio, has warned that the UK is caught in a “doom loop” because it faces a worrying combine of upper taxes, rising money owed and slower development. Kalyeena Makortoff has the story.
ShareLaw enforcement officials guarding the seaside close to the Trump Turnberry golf course this morning the place President Donald Trump is staying. {Photograph}: Alastair Grant/APShare
Starmer to fulfill Trump to debate Gaza and commerce, as minister suggests UK may recognise Palestinian state by subsequent election
Good morning. Keir Starmer has a lead function within the Trump present at present. He’s flying to Scotland for a gathering with the US president, who’s combining a {golfing} vacation with conferences with leaders like Starmer, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Fee, and John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister.
The von der Leyen talks culminated within the announcement of what Trump described as a “highly effective” commerce deal (albeit one which solely means the Trump tariffs gained’t injury US-EU commerce as a lot as they in any other case may need executed; it isn’t an enchancment on the established order ante.)
Starmer is ready to spend so much of time with Trump at present. He’s arriving earlier than lunch, and he’s not flying again to London till this night, after what No 10 describes as a “non-public engagement” (dinner?) at Trump’s golf course in Aberdeenshire. There’s a bilateral scheduled, however Trump doesn’t like lengthy conferences and Downing Road has not mentioned a lot about what else the 2 males will probably be doing. Starmer has reportedly been figuring out learn how to reply if Trump invitations him to play a spherical of golf. Based on my colleague Eleni Courea, who’s Scotland protecting the journey, that’s one humiliation that Trump gained’t be inflicting on the PM, who is an efficient footballer however a complete novice at Trump’s favorite sport. However Starmer may also be flying to Aberdeen with the president on Air Drive One, we anticipate. In White Home phrases, that may be a token of respect.
Usually when political leaders meet, they communicate to the press afterwards, to temporary on what they’ve agreed. In the present day Trump and Starmer will maintain their fundamental occasion with reporters earlier than their talks and so we aren’t anticipating them to announce something of substance at this level. As an alternative, we could find yourself with Trump giving us considered one of his stream-of-consciousness peformances. Whereas he has been in Scotland, these have embody rants about European immigration (“you bought to cease this horrible invasion that’s occurring to Europe – immigration is killing Europe”) and wind generators (“after they begin to rust and decay in eight years you may’t actually flip them off, you may’t burn them – the entire thing is a con job”).
At one level it was anticipated that Trump and Starmer would use the assembly at present to tie up unfastened ends within the US-UK commerce deal, notably referring to metal tariffs. However Jonathan Reynolds, the enterprise secretary, has been giving interviews this morning and he advised the In the present day programme he “wouldn’t anticipate bulletins from this go to” on commerce.
As an alternative, the state of affairs in Gaza often is the focus of the Trump/Starmer talks and, as Pippa Crerar studies, Starmer will urge Trump to make use of his affect with Israel to get Benjamin Netanyahu to renew peace talks with Hamas.
This can be a troublesome topic for Starmer as a result of the PM is coming underneath growing stress from members of his personal cupboard to recognise the state of Palestine. Doing this might anger Trump, who takes the Israeli view that this might quantity to rewarding Hamas for the 7 October assault. And it could not have any quick sensible influence on the state of affairs in Gaza. However Labour MPs are more and more coming spherical to the view that, as Wes Streeting, the well being secretary put it, it’s best to recognise the state of Palestine “whereas there’s a state of Palestine left to recognise”. As Mark Malloch Brown, a former UN deputy secretary-general and a minister in Gordon Brown’s authorities, advised the Observer yesterday, recognition would additionally ship a message to Israel that “you may’t bomb your manner out of the truth that you simply’re going to have to barter with the Palestinians.”
In interviews this morning Reynolds mentioned that the UK was dedicated to recognising the state of Palestine; it was only a matter of timing, he mentioned.
He advised ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
It’s a case of when, not if.
It’s about how we use this second, as a result of you may solely do it as soon as to have a significant breakthrough.
And on Sky Information he went additional, implying he expects recognition to occur throughout this parliament.
On this parliament, sure. I imply, if it delivers the breakthrough that we want.
However don’t neglect, we will solely do that as soon as. If we do it in a manner which is tokenistic, doesn’t produce the top to this battle, the place can we go to subsequent?
Right here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Rachel Reeves, chancellor, is on a go to in Bournemouth.
11am: Nigel Farage, Reform UK chief, holds a press convention with “a particular visitor”. Based on the Day by day Mail, he’s Colin Sutton, a former detective chief inspector, who’s becoming a member of the social gathering as against the law adviser.
11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.
Round midday: Keir Starmer is because of arrive at President Trump’s Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, Scotland, the place the 2 leaders are on account of communicate to the media at round 12.30pm. They are going to maintain a proper assembly within the afternoon earlier than flying to Aberdeen, the place Trump owns one other golf course and the place they’re anticipated to have a non-public dinner.
Round lunchtime: Kemi Badenoch is predicted to report a media clip.
Afternoon: The Cease Trump Coalition holds a protest outdoors Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course.
Late afternoon: Angela Rayner, deputy PM, hosts a reception for the Lionesses following victory within the Girls’s Euro 2025.
Additionally, David Lammy, overseas secretary, is in New York for a gathering on a two-state answer for Israel and Palestine.
If you wish to contact me, please publish a message beneath the road when feedback are open (usually between 10am and 3pm in the mean time), or message me on social media. I can’t learn all of the messages BTL, however in the event you put “Andrew” in a message geared toward me, I’m extra more likely to see it as a result of I seek for posts containing that phrase.
If you wish to flag one thing up urgently, it’s best to make use of social media. You may attain me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, however particular person Guardian journalists are there, I nonetheless have my account, and in the event you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I’ll see it and reply if mandatory.
I discover it very useful when readers level out errors, even minor typos. No error is simply too small to appropriate. And I discover your questions very attention-grabbing too. I can’t promise to answer to all of them, however I’ll attempt to reply to as many as I can, both BTL or typically within the weblog.
Share
Up to date at 04.50 EDT
