Minister reacts to Diane Abbott's suspension
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Prime Minister to meet Donald Trump to discuss ceasefire in Gaza
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the war in Ukraine. On Monday, Sir Keir will travel to Scotland to meet the president on his golf course at Trump Turnberry, Girvan, Aryshire, where he has been playing golf since Saturday morning, and where he met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday afternoon. After a meeting, the world leaders will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen. Mr Trump will visit the UK again in September for his second state visit. On Monday, the leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. They are also expected to talk one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that citizens of both countries can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries. The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the president's administration working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. A spokesperson for Number 10 said it was expected they will discuss 'what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long'. The war in Ukraine will also be up for discussion with both politicians 'set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war' according to Number 10, and expected to 'reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table'. A spokesperson for the UK Government said: 'The UK and the US have one of the closest, most productive alliances the world has ever seen, working together to cooperate on defence, intelligence, technology and trade. 'The UK was the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors and has received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world. 'Businesses in aerospace and autos are already benefiting from the strong relationship the UK has with the US and the deal agreed on May 8. 'The Government is working at pace with the US to go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic and to give UK industry the security it needs, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people's pockets through the Plan for Change.'
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sir Keir Starmer set for Donald Trump trade talks as PM walks diplomatic line between EU allies and US on Gaza
Gaza and transatlantic trade are set to dominate talks between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer when the pair meet in Scotland on Monday. Downing Street said the prime minister would discuss "what more can be done to secure the ceasefire [in the Middle East] urgently", during the meeting at the president's Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire. Talks in Qatar over a ceasefire ended on Thursday after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams. Mr Trump blamed Hamas for the collapse of negotiations as he left the US for Scotland, saying the militant group "didn't want to make a deal… they want to die". Sir Keir has tried to forge close personal ties with the president, frequently praising his actions on the world stage despite clear foreign policy differences between the US and UK. The approach seemed to pay off in May when Mr Trump announced the agreement of a trade deal with the UK that would see several tariffs lowered. The two leaders are expected to discuss this agreement when they meet, with the prime minister likely to press the president for a lowering of outstanding tariffs on imports such as steel. Prior to the visit, the White House said the talks would allow them to "refine the historic US-UK trade deal". Extracting promises from the president on the Middle East may be harder though. Despite some reports that Mr Trump is growing frustrated with Israel, there is a clear difference in tone between the US and its Western allies. As he did over the Ukraine war, Sir Keir will have to walk a diplomatic line between the UK's European allies and the White House. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state in September, the first member of the G7 to do so. That move was dismissed by Mr Trump, who said it "doesn't carry any weight". Read more from Sky News:US and EU agree trade deal - with bloc facing 15% tariffsGeldof accuses Israel of 'lying' about Gaza starvation The UK, French and German leaders spoke over the weekend and agreed to work together on the "next phase" in Gaza that would see transitional governance and security arrangements put in place, alongside the large-scale delivery of aid. Under pressure from members of his own party and cabinet to follow France and signal formal recognition of Palestine, Sir Keir has gradually become more critical of Israel in recent months. On Friday, the prime minister said "the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel's disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible". Government sources say UK recognition is a matter of "when, not if", however, it's thought Downing Street wants to ensure any announcement is made at a time when it can have the greatest diplomatic impact. Cabinet ministers will be convened in the coming days, during the summer recess, to discuss the situation in Gaza. The UK has also been working with Jordan to air drop supplies, after Israel said it would allow foreign countries to provide aid to the territory. President Trump's trip to Scotland comes ahead of his second state visit to the UK in September. Downing Street says Ukraine will also likely be discussed in the meeting with both men reflecting on what can be done to force Russia back to the negotiating table. After the meeting at Turnberry, the prime minister will travel with the president to Aberdeen for a private engagement. Mr Trump is also expected to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney while in the country.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer to urge Trump to end the mass starvation in Gaza
Sir Keir Starmer will plead with Donald Trump to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and end the suffering of thousands of Palestinians when he meets with the US president in Scotland on Monday. The growing crisis in the Middle East will top the agenda when the two hold their bilateral meeting at President Trump's Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire, with the prime minister under immense political pressure to change the UK's policy on recognising Palestine as a state. It comes after the IDF announced a 'tactical pause' in fighting to allow aid to get in, with thousands of people trapped in Gaza facing mass starvation. On Sunday, Jordan and the UAE carried out the first airdrops of food and essential supplies. A Downing Street source said that the prime minister and the president have a 'shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war'. The meeting comes after a Sunday bilateral between Mr Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Turnberry, where the two struck a trade deal to avoid a tariff war despite the US president having told reporters beforehand that he was 'not in a good mood'. It was put to Mr Trump that Sir Keir would ask him about a Middle East ceasefire, but he replied: 'We're meeting about a lot of things. We have our trade deal and it's been a great deal. 'It's good for us. It's good for them and good for us. I think the UK is very happy, they've been trying for 12 years to get it and they got it, and it's a great trade deal for both, works out very well. 'We'll be discussing that. I think we're going to be discussing a lot about Israel. They're very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen. [Starmer] is doing a very good job, by the way.' The mini-summit at Turnberry was intended primarily to focus on the continuing problem of steel tariffs imposed by President Trump, and other aspects of the trade deal the two signed last month. Sir Keir also wants to press the president on providing a backstop for the 'coalition of the willing' he is establishing with French president Emmanuel Macron to provide a guarantee of peace in Ukraine once the war with Russia comes to an end. But with harrowing pictures emerging over the past week of malnourished children in Gaza, alongside reports of the impact of starvation in the territory, the Middle East crisis has risen to the top of the agenda. Sir Keir is hoping that the strong personal relationship he has developed with the US president will help him in persuading Mr Trump to move on a number of these issues. The two will continue to talk when they travel together to Aberdeen for a further private dinner at Mr Trump's other Scottish golf course, which is dedicated to his mother. The president is looking for support to host an Open championship. Downing Street has insisted that 'the strength of the UK-US relationship will be on display again' as the prime minister meets President Trump for what it described as 'wide-ranging talks'. But the meeting is likely to be overshadowed by pressure on Sir Keir to join Mr Macron in officially recognising a Palestinian state. There was some speculation on Friday that the prime minister was close to doing so, after 221 MPs signed a cross-party letter supporting the move. Labour's biggest donors, the trade unions, have also collectively demanded action on recognising Palestine. Sir Keir used his strongest language yet on Friday when he described Israel's actions in Gaza as 'unspeakable and indefensible', adding that Palestinians have an 'inalienable right' to their own state. Pressure was further added by Mr Macron's announcement that France was preparing to recognise Palestine as a state, just ahead of an E3 phone call on Friday with Sir Keir and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz. But Sir Keir has held off taking similar action, with some suggesting that he wanted to see what President Trump would have to say about the crisis at their meeting at Turnberry before making a final decision. The problems kicked off further on Sunday, when Live Aid founder and former pop star Sir Bob Geldof clashed with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on the topic of Israel and Gaza. The two appeared on Sir Trevor Phillips's Sunday morning show on Sky News. When asked about Israeli government claims that there are hundreds of trucks full of aid waiting to get into Gaza that are being held up by United Nations incompetence and Hamas, Sir Bob hit out at Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. 'The Israeli authorities are lying,' he claimed. 'They're lying. Netanyahu is a liar. The IDF are lying.' The comments enraged the Israeli government, which has denied being at fault after reports emerged that more than 110 people have died of hunger during the conflict. Israel has blamed Hamas for 'stealing aid and prolonging the war'. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, told The Independent: 'Bob Geldof says that 'we are way beyond' the attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023. This is complete rubbish. Hamas still holds 50 hostages in their dungeons of torture. They have been held for 660 days. I don't hear Bob Geldof calling for their release?' When Sir Bob's remarks were put to her by Sir Trevor, Ms Badenoch said he was wrong. She said: 'I disagree with that. What I'm seeing is Israel allowing humanitarian aid to go in. This has been an unbelievably difficult situation. It's been heartbreaking seeing some of the pictures, hearing those stories, and what we all want to see is this awful war coming to an end, and that will happen when those hostages are released. We need a ceasefire.' Polling by More in Common has shown that the British public side with Palestinians more than with Israel, by 29 per cent to 15 per cent.
