Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland
Trump, who on Sunday announced a major trade deal with the European Union, said he expected Starmer would also be pleased. 'I like your prime minister,' Trump told reporters, according to The Guardian newspaper. 'He's a little bit more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard, but he's a good guy.'
While Starmer had hoped to negotiate a reduction in US tariffs on steel and aluminium, Trump has ruled out any changes to the 50% tariffs on EU imports, saying the trade deal with Britain was 'already done.'
The worsening crisis in war-torn Gaza is expected to cast a shadow over the meeting. Starmer's office said the prime minister would discuss 'what can be done urgently to secure a ceasefire in the Middle East.'
Starmer is under growing pressure at home and abroad to recognise a Palestinian state. A government source said on Sunday he has recalled cabinet ministers from their summer holiday for a meeting, likely to discuss the Gaza situation.
The British prime minister said on Friday his country would only recognise a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated peace deal, a stance that disappointed many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France's lead. Trump on Friday rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's intention to recognise a Palestinian state, a plan that also drew strong condemnation from Israel.
Trump said he understood Starmer's desire to discuss Israel, adding that while the United States would increase its aid to Gaza, it wanted others to join the effort. Ukraine will also be on the agenda.
British Chancellor James Murray described the situation in Gaza as 'appalling and quite frankly horrifying,' telling British radio, 'Starvation, the securing of food, must not be used as a method of war. It's completely unjustifiable and it must end.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Israel must allow aid trucks 'unfettered' access as it was the 'only viable and sustainable way' to get sufficient supplies to the population.
Gaza's health ministry has said that dozens of residents have died from malnutrition in recent weeks, as aid organisations warn of widespread hunger among the enclave's 2.2 million people.
The two leaders are expected to travel from Trump's luxury golf resort on Scotland's west coast to another sprawling Trump-owned property in the east, near Aberdeen. Starmer travelled to Scotland from Switzerland, where England won the final of the Women's Euro soccer championship on Sunday.
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