Donald Trump joins royals for state banquet at Windsor as thousands protest against US president’s visit – as it happened
The pomp and pageantry have been laid on thick for Donald Trump’s historic and unprecedented second state visit, with the US president visibly delighted by a day of processions, flypasts and gifts.He was notably kept away from public crowds and mostly contained within the walls of Windsor Castle, as members of the Stop Trump Coalition gathered in London to protest against his visit.The Metropolitan police estimated 5,000 people attended the anti-Trump rally in Parliament Square, denouncing the US president as a “fascist”.There were other protests all across the country.Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent MP, also congratulated the four activists arrested by police after pictures of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to the walls of Windsor Castle last night.
“There’s something very sinister about our times when peaceful protest becomes terrorism: when an ad van going around Windsor Castle perfectly legally is then stopped by the police, taken away, and those people prevented from expressing a point of view,” he said.King Charles and Trump lauded each other in brief remarks made before a lavish state banquet, where US and UK cabinet members are dining alongside tech and media bosses, along with eight members of the royal family.The king mostly emphasised the shared history and culture between the UK and US, and Trump also stuck to the script, striking a gracious and sombre tone.Notably, the only causes the king mentioned by name were efforts to support Ukraine, enhance the trading relationship and protect the environment (Trump is a threat to all three).He praised Trump’s efforts to finding solutions to conflicts around the world, and the US president in return heaped praise and gratitude on Charles for his second state visit.
Elements of Trump’s brief remarks were characteristically self-congratulatory, but for the most part he stressed the close bond between the two countries, even declaring “the word special does not begin to do it justice”.That will no doubt be a huge relief for the British political establishment, giving the *awkward* timing of this visit.American investment worth £150bn has been unveiled as part of Donald Trump’s historic second state visit, PA Media reports.Some 7,600 “high quality” jobs will be created across the country as a result of the influx of cash from big US firms, according to the UK government.Keir Starmer welcomed the announcement, ahead of a day of high-level discussions with Trump at Chequers tomorrow.
The PM said:When we back British brilliance, champion our world-class industries, and forge deeper global alliances - especially with friends like the US - we help shape the future for generations to come and make people across the country better off.These investments are a testament to Britain’s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious and ready to lead.Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it’s exactly what this state visit is delivering.Among the firms pledging investment in the UK are asset management company Blackstone, which will invest £90bn cash on top of £10bn previously announced to develop data centres.Others include investment firm Prologis, pledging £3.
9bn, and software company Palantir, pledging £1.5bn.The new flow of cash from the US into the UK comes as Starmer and Trump are expected to sign a new “technology prosperity deal” when they meet tomorrow.Among those who attended Trump’s state banquet at Windsor Castle were the chiefs of major US tech companies, including Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.When Starmer and the US president meet, they are also expected discuss other means of deepening the economic ties between the UK and US.
An observation and look ahead to tomorrow from Sky News’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn:We will get a first sense of what Britain gets in return for all this tomorrow, the business end of this state visit.What deals have been struck by the tech and business titans President Trump has brought with him? Will there be any sign he has moderated his positions on Ukraine and Gaza? Will he make concessions to the UK on trade?The real world starts crowding back in on Donald Trump tomorrow afternoon when he faces journalists at a closing press conference.Two words threaten to upset the president’s mood.Jeffrey and Epstein.The gathering storm surrounding the infamous paedophile soured the mood ahead of this visit and claimed the scalp of Britain’s ambassador in Washington.
Could the scandal also upset its outcome?The pomp and pageantry have been laid on thick for Donald Trump’s historic and unprecedented second state visit, with the US president visibly delighted by a day of processions, flypasts and gifts.He was notably kept away from public crowds and mostly contained within the walls of Windsor Castle, as members of the Stop Trump Coalition gathered in London to protest against his visit.The Metropolitan police estimated 5,000 people attended the anti-Trump rally in Parliament Square, denouncing the US president as a “fascist”.There were other protests all across the country.Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent MP, also congratulated the four activists arrested by police after pictures of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to the walls of Windsor Castle last night.
“There’s something very sinister about our times when peaceful protest becomes terrorism: when an ad van going around Windsor Castle perfectly legally is then stopped by the police, taken away, and those people prevented from expressing a point of view,” he said.King Charles and Trump lauded each other in brief remarks made before a lavish state banquet, where US and UK cabinet members are dining alongside tech and media bosses, along with eight members of the royal family.The king mostly emphasised the shared history and culture between the UK and US, and Trump also stuck to the script, striking a gracious and sombre tone.Notably, the only causes the king mentioned by name were efforts to support Ukraine, enhance the trading relationship and protect the environment (Trump is a threat to all three).He praised Trump’s efforts to finding solutions to conflicts around the world, and the US president in return heaped praise and gratitude on Charles for his second state visit.
Elements of Trump’s brief remarks were characteristically self-congratulatory, but for the most part he stressed the close bond between the two countries, even declaring “the word special does not begin to do it justice”.That will no doubt be a huge relief for the British political establishment, giving the *awkward* timing of this visit.True to form with an expectedly “big picture” style speech, the king mostly emphasised the shared history and culture between the UK and US, with Trump also sticking to the script and striking a remarkably gracious and sombre tone.Notably, the only causes the king mentioned by name were efforts to support Ukraine, enhance the trading relationship and protect the environment (Trump is a threat to all three).He praised Trump’s efforts to finding solutions to conflicts around the world, and the US president in return heaped praise and gratitude on Charles for the historic second state visit.
Elements of Trump’s brief remarks were characteristically self-congratulatory, but for the most part he stressed the close bond between the two countries, even declaring “the word special does not begin to do it justice”.That will no doubt be a huge relief for the British political establishment, giving the *awkward* timing of this visit.And that’s it, the speeches are done.Trump says the term “special relationship” “does not begin to do [the bond] justice”.Trump says of the relationship between the UK and US, “we’re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same prose”.
“Each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together.The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal.It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable,” he says.He praises Charles, saying to laughter: “I just stood in line and shook about 150 hands, and the King knew every single person and every single company.”“Some of them had bad names like ‘XYZ-Q3’ and he knew every one of them, or at least I think he did, because nobody was complaining.
I was very impressed with that.”Trump says it’s been one of the highest honours of his life.Trump says it has been a “singular privilege” to be the first American president invited for a second state visit.This is a “first”, he notes.Maybe it will also be the last time, he jokes.
“I hope it is actually,” he says to laughter.Donald Trump is speaking now.Charles says that in “renewing” the UK-US bond tonight “we do so with unshakeable trust in our friendship and in our shared commitment to independence and liberty”.He then proposes a toast to Trump and Melania, “and to the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States of America”.Charles also refers to the need to protect the environment, long a personal cause of his.
And without mentioning specific wars, Charles praises Trump’s “personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts”.Charles also says the Aukus submarine pact signed under the Biden administration, along with Australia, that the US government is currently reviewing, “sets the benchmark for innovative and vital collaboration”.
Privatisation of UK industries is driving cost of living crisis, says Greens leader
The privatisation of the UK’s key industries is driving the cost of living crisis, damaging critical public services and making life harder for millions of people, the leader of the Green party, Zack Polanski, has said.Speaking after the Guardian revealed the British public have been paying a “privatisation premium” of £250 per household per year since 2010, he described the mass privatisation of UK industry as a “failed experiment”.“This report shows that privatisation has been one of the key drivers of the cost-of-living crisis and growing inequality … the Conservatives were the architects of this failed experiment, but the Labour government has done virtually nothing to change course.”In his successful campaign to become Labour leader in 2020, Keir Starmer vowed to support “common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water” but has backtracked since coming into power, ruling out nationalisation of the big six energy companies, water or mail.Labour has made some moves towards nationalisation, bringing some train operators back into public ownership, establishing the publicly owned GB Energy and completing the re-nationalisation of the national energy system operator
Starmer to recognise Palestinian state ‘after Trump state visit’
Keir Starmer will reportedly recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend after Donald Trump concludes his state visit to the UK.The prime minister has previously said he plans to recognise Palestinian statehood before the UN general assembly in New York this month if Israel does not meet a series of conditions to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.High-level meetings at the UN summit involving world leaders begin on 23 September. According to the Times, Starmer has held off on formally announcing the UK will recognise a Palestinian state until after Trump leaves for fear it could dominate a Thursday news conference the two men plan to hold at Chequers.The prime minister has found himself at odds with the US administration over the move, which is opposed to giving official recognition to the state
Donald Trump joins royals for state banquet at Windsor as thousands protest against US president’s visit – as it happened
The pomp and pageantry have been laid on thick for Donald Trump’s historic and unprecedented second state visit, with the US president visibly delighted by a day of processions, flypasts and gifts.He was notably kept away from public crowds and mostly contained within the walls of Windsor Castle, as members of the Stop Trump Coalition gathered in London to protest against his visit. The Metropolitan police estimated 5,000 people attended the anti-Trump rally in Parliament Square, denouncing the US president as a “fascist”. There were other protests all across the country.Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent MP, also congratulated the four activists arrested by police after pictures of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to the walls of Windsor Castle last night
Nick Clegg: US-UK tech deal is ‘sloppy seconds from Silicon Valley’
A multibillion-dollar transatlantic tech agreement announced to coincide with Donald Trump’s state visit represents “sloppy seconds from Silicon Valley”, Nick Clegg, Meta’s former president of global affairs, has said.The former deputy prime minister said the deals, heralded with great fanfare by the government as it tries to foster growth in the UK, were “mutton dressed as lamb” and would make the country ever more reliant on US tech firms.The announcements have included some of the biggest companies in the tech world, such as chipmaker Nvidia and the ChatGPT developer OpenAI. One announcement featured a Microsoft investment that was said to be worth $30bn (£22bn).However, speaking at a Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge, Clegg said the relationship between the UK and the US tech sector was “all one-way traffic” and that the announcements suited the companies
A wake-up call for all of us to resist the far right | Letters
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