Can Starmer and Trump come to an agreement on Gaza?
This marks Trump's first visit to the UK since his re-election (he will return to the UK in September for an official state visit). The White House has described it as a 'private trip', but the US President has also taken this as an opportunity to bear some influence on European politics. (Upon arriving in Scotland on Friday night, Trump told reporters that European countries need to 'stop the windmills' and added that immigration is 'killing Europe'). Over the weekend, he held talks with Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commissioner, during which the pair agreed to impose a 15% US tariff on all EU goods.
The location of these talks stands in stark contrast to the content of Trump and Starmer's discussion this afternoon, which is likely to be dominated by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As I have written this morning, pressure has been mounting on the Prime Minister to recognise the state of Palestine and to take more strident action to alleviate this humanitarian crisis. Though the government's position remains unchanged on recognition (they have said they will only do so at the point of 'maximum impact'), Starmer will recall his cabinet from their summer break for an emergency meeting on the Gaza crisis.
Over the weekend, Israel allowed a brief cessation of violence in several areas of Gaza to assist the safe passage of humanitarian aid, but the deathly famine is ongoing. The World Health Organisation has warned malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels'. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped seven packages containing sugar, flour and canned food into Gaza. The UAE, Jordan and Egypt have also delivered aid by land and air. This is far from enough.
In response, the meeting between the two leaders will likely focus on the push for an urgent ceasefire. The US, alongside Qatar and Egypt, has been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas. After the US and Israel withdrew their teams from Doha last week, Trump said Hamas 'didn't really want to make a deal'. The US's position on this conflict clearly has some influence over Starmer's thinking on recognition. When Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio described the decision as 'reckless'. Trump said Macron's decision 'doesn't matter'.
The UK's reluctance to follow France's lead is likely driven by concern from within government that taking such a decision in the middle of Trump's visit could derail discussions over the ongoing UK-US trade deal (Trump and Starmer are likely to make progress on this during their meeting today). But this justification will not dampen the growing consternation over Gaza within the cabinet, nor will it win over voters or backbench MPs who have long criticised Starmer for his reticence to act.
This meeting is a tangible indication of the position the Prime Minister finds himself in. He is caught between mounting domestic pressure to recognise Palestine and take bolder action on Gaza, and the need to maintain a renewed but sensitive special relationship between the UK and the US. It is a tricky balancing act, with parameters likely to shift quickly. This is the most difficult test of Starmer's premiership to date. Only time will tell how well he fares.
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'My body's composition is determined by my genes,' she said, and then stopped to add, 'Hey, eyes up here.' The camera then jumped back up to her face. The ad also triggered the discovery that Sydney votes Red, as fans offered differing viewpoints on the actress's political party registration by jumping to X, with one penning, 'are we really surprised? lol.' 'I would like to say im im not,' another typed, and one added, 'Her playing a character who supports women's rights while being registered Republican in Florida is something!' An X user shared, 'oh so she's part of the maga family, that's disappointing,' while others came to her defense. 'Its okay for people to have different views than you,' one commented, while a fan also said, 'Y'all need to stop harassing her. She's a human being and is allowed to vote for whoever she wants. There's a thing called free will people.' Another added, 'If every celeb's voter registration became public, we'd probably cancel 80% of Hollywood,' and one wrote, 'Why is this anyone's business? She's an actress, not your elected official.' Sydney's American Eagle campaign has been hugely divisive online, with one critic writing: 'So Sydney (& American Eagle) somehow expect audiences to not interpret this visual as a euphemism for eugenics and white supremacy?' Another said, 'The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern day Nazi propaganda. Like it's wild how blatant it is. Things are weird right now, man.' The words 'great genes' have been 'historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,' per a Salon report. The outlet added that using the phrase also made the ads 'seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move.' Earlier this week on Friday, Sydney was defended by American Eagle as the company released a statement amid the backlash. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the brand wrote. 'Her jeans. her story. 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.' Buzzfeed was first to report the news not long after one social media user on X uploaded a now-viral post on Friday The Euphoria actress also broke her silence on Saturday by making a return to social media with a cryptic post. She uploaded a photo of a bouquet of pink roses and added a white heart emoji over the image. Insiders have also revealed the impact that the ad starring Sydney has had on the brand - and have claimed that 70% of the reaction to the campaign has been positive. 'This is yet another example of how social media is just not reflective of real life. The absurd response from some corners of the internet is absolutely not reflective of how American Eagle's customers feel,' sources told TMZ. 'The bottom line is that this was about creating a great pair of jeans and supporting a very worthy cause through some of the proceeds going to domestic violence prevention.' They continued, 'Anything beyond that is noise that is not registering with the average person. 'Regardless of how people feel about the ad, we hope they can agree we should be doing more to support and empower those who are experiencing domestic violence.' Late last month on July 23, Sydney opened up about her involvement in the denim campaign in a news release. Earlier this week on Friday, Sydney was defended by American Eagle as the company released a statement amid the backlash 'There is something so effortless about American Eagle,' she expressed. 'It's the perfect balance of being put-together but still feeling like yourself. 'Their commitment to creating pieces that make you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin is something that resonates with me.' 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