EPSTEIN SHADOW
He then flew on Marine One to Chequers, where Starmer and his wife Victoria greeted him to the sound of bagpipes, before going inside the 16th century manor house near London to begin the meeting.
The British premier has positioned himself as a bridge between Trump and European allies, particularly on the war in Ukraine, in a bid to secure more commitments for Kyiv from the US leader.
Appealing to Trump’s admiration for British wartime leader Winston Churchill, Starmer led the US president on a tour of Churchill artefacts at Chequers before heading into their bilateral meeting.
His warm tone with the 79-year-old Trump has won some leniency in the president’s tariff war, with Starmer saying Thursday the trade deal the two countries signed in May was the first by the US and also “the best”.
But the talks could stumble on several fronts at the joint press conference the two leaders were due to hold at Chequers.
The scandal over the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is one issue that is dogging both leaders.
Starmer faces political troubles at home after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over a furore involving the diplomat’s connections to disgraced financier Epstein.
Epstein has also haunted Trump over recent weeks, with further revelations about the pair’s relationship in the 1990s and early 2000s.
There are differences too on Gaza, with Britain reportedly preparing to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state, a step the United States has opposed.
