Trump UK visit live: President hails ‘priceless and eternal’ US-British bond ahead of Starmer trade talks

Donald Trump was the guest of honour at a lavish state banquet in the historic halls of Windsor Castle on Wednesday evening.

The US president and First Lady Melania Trump experienced the pinnacle of royal hospitality, joining about 160 guests for an extravagant feast hosted by the King in the magnificent St George’s Hall.

There Mr Trump paid a heartfelt tribute to America’s relationship with the UK, saying the word “special does not begin to do it justice”, and claimed the nations were “two notes in one chord”.

The president’s words were echoed by Charles who spoke of the “enduring bond between our two great nations” that has been “long called ‘special’” and went on to describe how it grew from two sworn enemies fighting against each other in the American Revolutionary War.

Among those at the banquet were the chiefs of major American firms, including big names from the tech world Sam Altman of OpenAI, Tim Cook of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia.

The impressive St George’s Hall is the largest room in the castle at 55.5 metres long (180ft) and nine metres wide (29.5ft), and the 50 metre (164ft) table stretches its full length.

The dress code was tiaras and white tie – or national dress. Members of the royal family wore sashes and badges known as orders if they have been given them in recognition of royal service.

Speeches took place at the start at around 8.30pm when the King and Mr Trump both made a speech and proposed toasts to one another, followed by the playing of the national anthems.

A bespoke transatlantic whisky sour, garnished with a toasted marshmallow and a star-shaped biscuit “evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more” was served to guests. Although Mr Trump is a teetotaller, so did not indulge in sampling the cocktail nor the variety of vintage drinks on offer.

The sumptuous menu, written in French as is the custom, consisted of Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, followed by organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, with a thyme and savoury infused jus, and then bombe glacee cardinal, which is a vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached victoria plums.

The end of the banquet was signalled by the arrival of 12 pipers processing round the room, a tradition started by Queen Victoria.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

The government is “standing up for British industry”, a government minister has insisted, amid growing questions over the decision to shelve plans to scrap US tariffs on UK steel.

Asked whether hopes had been abandoned of securing the reduction in the levy, which stands at 25 per cent, chief secretary to the Treasury James Murray told Sky News: “Let me put it in context, because we’re obviously the only country to avoid the 50% tariffs and that’s as a result of the deal that the prime minister struck with President Trump.”

It was put to him that the tariffs were higher than they were a year ago, to which he responded: “We’re standing up for British industry and the context is the 50 per cent tariffs and were the only country to avoid them.”

He said the “national interest will drive the prime minister” at “every turn.”

Donald Trump will leave Windsor this morning for Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire, where he is due to hold talks with Sir Keir Starmer.

Chequers, a sixteenth-century manor house in Aylesbury, is a grace-and-favour residence granted to each serving prime minister. It has long been used to host foreign leaders and high-level cabinet meetings – with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky among its recent visitors in 2023.

This will not be Trump’s first trip to the estate. During his 2018 working visit to Britain, he met then-prime minister Theresa May for talks at the same venue.

Today’s return marks a significant moment in his second state visit, with discussions expected to focus on investment, technology partnerships and foreign policy priorities.

A Treasury minister has defended the government’s handling of stalled efforts to cut US tariffs on British steel, insisting the prime minister is “standing up for British industry.”

Chief secretary to the Treasury James Murray was pressed on Sky News about the shelving of plans to eliminate the 25 per cent levy. He argued the UK had already avoided harsher measures thanks to a deal struck with Donald Trump.

“Let me put it in context, because we’re obviously the only country to avoid the 50% tariffs and that’s as a result of the deal that the Prime Minister struck with President Trump,” he said.

When challenged that tariffs are still higher than they were a year ago, he repeated: “We’re standing up for British industry and the context is the 50% tariffs and were the only country to avoid them.”

The government had hoped to secure a reduction during Trump’s state visit, but prospects now appear slim.

Can Keir Starmer succeed where a previous prime minister did not?

That is the question today, as he hosts Donald Trump at Chequers and they hold a press conference this afternoon.

After last night’s warm words about Britain and the “special” relationship, the state visit can be judged to be a success – so far.

But with the men far apart on a number of issues – including the recognition of Palestine- will appearing in front of the media expose the fault lines?

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) London bureau was initially cleared to attend Trump’s and British prime minister Keir Starmer’s joint press conference on Thursday, but officials later withdrew the broadcaster’s accreditation.

The broadcaster said Downing Street Media withdrew the accreditation, citing “logistical reasons”. “The ABC’s London bureau is still accredited to attend Chequers; however, Downing Street media has said it no longer has a spot at the joint press conference due to logistical reasons,” an ABC spokesperson told The Guardian.

Hours after appearing in an oversized plum-colored wide-brimmed hat that almost completely hid her face, the first lady opted for a shockingly bright yellow number.

She wore the off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress (think the color of attire worn by Curious George’s “Man in the Yellow Hat”) to the State Banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla — and really stood out.

The ensemble was accompanied by a pastel lavender or pink (depending on the lighting) belt. Melania accessorized the gown with dangling green gemstone earrings adorned by diamonds.

Read Caitlin Hornik‘s report.

Thousands gathered in central London to protest about Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK.

While the US president was treated to pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, with supporters lining the streets, the British capital was home to far more irreverent scenes.

Several Trump impersonators walked the march to Parliament Square, complete with heavily orange tans and voluminous blond hair. Palestinian flags and pro-Palestine placards dominated the gathering, as did chants of “Free Palestine” and “Donald Trump, you’re a clown. You’re not welcome in our town.”

The march, organised by the Stop Trump Coalition, saw MPs Zarah Sultana, Jeremy Corbyn and several other speakers take to the stage to criticise Mr Trump’s visit.

More than 1,600 police officers were deployed across the city, including 500 assisting from forces outside of London, with a heavy police presence around Downing Street and the Cenotaph.

Donald Trump meets prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday in the centrepiece of the US president’s second state visit to Britain.

The two leaders are set to unveil a £150bn ($205bn) US investment package in the UK, spanning technology, energy and life sciences – a move both sides hope will reinvigorate the “special relationship.”

The day follows a glittering Wednesday programme of royal carriage rides and a state banquet with King Charles.

Today’s focus shifts to hard diplomacy and economic ties, with major announcements including a technology pact involving Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI, worth £31bn ($42bn).

Later, Trump and Starmer will hold a joint press conference – a potential flashpoint, with questions expected on their links to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer last week sacked Peter Mandelson as US ambassador over his connections to Epstein, while Trump’s own past ties have also drawn scrutiny.

Starmer, grappling with domestic challenges, will seek to project a positive international narrative and stress cooperation on global issues.

Trump, meanwhile, is keen to highlight the value of close ties with London as he tries to centre his state visit on global affairs rather than US politics.

The prime minister has accepted that hopes of securing further reductions on US steel and aluminium tariffs have faded, with officials playing down the likelihood of progress.

Instead, Starmer will point to Britain’s growing role as a magnet for US investment, particularly in financial services, technology and energy.

At Chequers today, top of his agenda is an appeal for the US president to step up pressure on Russia over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.