"After the fortnight the prime minister has had, a spot of rarefied pageantry is just the ticket. The government weathered a three-hour monsoon of questions in the Commons on Tuesday, which amounted to MP after MP asking why on earth Lord Mandelson was appointed as our man in Washington in the first place, and then why it took so long for Sir Keir Starmer to realise his position was untenable."
"After all, President Trump craves the best pictures and pictures are what any state visit are (pretty much) all about. The next few days amount to the UK offering a vital ally the full works of what he loves: royalty, military bands, a flypast, a banquet and plenty more besides. It is the latest point in the arc of the unlikely friendship between Sir Keir and the president, almost exactly a year after they first met at Trump Tower in New York,"
The prime minister faces intense scrutiny over political appointments and his leadership after a fraught fortnight in Parliament. A state visit by President Trump will deliver ceremonial pageantry — royalty, military bands, a flypast and a banquet — and a high-visibility photo opportunity. The visit continues the developing personal relationship between Sir Keir and President Trump that began nearly a year ago at Trump Tower. Official statements frame the UK–US bond as exceptionally strong. The relationship presents economic opportunities, exemplified by a Microsoft announcement, but also persistent frictions, such as remaining US tariffs on UK steel.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]