Starmer to raise Gaza situation in Trump meeting
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump and Starmer set to discuss tariffs and Gaza in Scotland talks – live updates
Ceasefire talks in Qatar ground to a standstill this week after America and Israel withdrew negotiating teams from the country. Sir Keir will raise Washington’s work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump. He will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal, where he is expected to try to resolve issues around steel and aluminium exports. But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested it may take more than a meeting between the two leaders to resolve the matter. He said: “We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy. “But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn’t job done. There’s more to do.” Scotland’s first minister John Swinney has vowed to exempt US whisky from trade tariffs. He told BBC Breakfast: ‘Tariffs are very important for the Scottish economy and obviously scotch is a unique product’
The deal under discussion was expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as conditions for a lasting truce were brokered.
Sir Keir will raise Washington’s work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump and seek to discuss what more can be done to urgently bring about a ceasefire, it is understood.
They will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal, where Sir Keir is expected to try to resolve issues around steel and aluminium exports.
Key points More to do on UK-US trade deal, says business secretary
Starmer to urge Trump to end mass starvation in Gaza
US has ‘the leverage’ to make a difference in the Middle East, says business secretary
Trump ‘uniquely positioned’ to end Gaza conflict, says Scottish FM
Minister cannot say whether RAF will be directly involved in plans to airdrop aid to Gaza
What will Sir Keir aim to resolve around US tariffs? 10:28 , Alexander Butler 10:28 , Alexander Butler When the UK and US signed a trade deal in June, it reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports to the US. But agreement on a similar arrangement for Britain’s steel imports was not reached, leaving tariffs on steel at 25 per cent. American concerns over steel products made elsewhere in the world, then finished in the UK, are said to be among the sticking points. Sir Keir is expected to spend most of the day with President Trump on Monday, when he will have a chance to press the president on a steel deal. But Business Secretary Mr Reynolds suggested it may take more than a meeting between the two leaders to resolve the matter, telling BBC Breakfast: “We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy. “But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn’t job done. There’s more to do.”
More to do on UK-US trade deal, says business secretary 10:19 , Alexander Butler 10:19 , Alexander Butler There is “more to do” on the UK-US trade deal, the business secretary has said, as he indicated it may be unlikely there will be a “resolution” to the talks to announce after Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with Donald Trump on Monday. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Jonathan Reynolds said “it’s really important to have the president here” and the visit offers “a chance to do a bit of business”. On the UK-US trade relationship, he added, “We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy. “But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn’t job done. There’s more to do. “The negotiations have been going on on a daily basis since then. There’s a few issues to push a little bit further today. “We won’t perhaps have anything to announce a resolution of those talks, but there’s some sectors that we still need to resolve, particularly around steel and aluminium, and there’s the wider conversation about what the US calls its reciprocal tariffs.”
Recap: Trump’s stark warning to Europe on immigration as he lands in Scotland ahead of Starmer meeting 10:00 , Alexander Butler 10:00 , Alexander Butler Trump’s stark warning to Europe on immigration as he lands in Scotland
Recap: Trump supporters tell president ‘Don’t trust Starmer’ as he hits the golf course for second day 09:44 , Alexander Butler 09:44 , Alexander Butler Trump supporters tell president ‘Don’t trust Starmer’ as he hits the golf course
Swinney to press Trump on Scotch whisky tariffs exemption 09:22 , Alexander Butler 09:22 , Alexander Butler Scotland’s first minister has vowed to press President Donald Trump to exempt Scotch whisky from US trade tariffs. John Swinney said the “uniqueness” of whisky made in Scotland justified the exemption from the 10 per cent tariff applied on UK exports into the US. The First minister, who is due to hold talks with Mr Trump during his ongoing visit to Scotland, said the tariffs were currently costing the local whisky industry £4 million a week. “Tariffs are very important for the Scottish economy and obviously scotch whisky is a unique product,” he told BBC Breakfast. “It can only be produced in Scotland. It’s not a product that can be produced in any other part of the world. So there’s a uniqueness about that, which I think means there is a case for it to be taken out of the tariffs arrangement that is now in place.”
Analysis: Why Starmer has more to worry about than his inability to play golf when he meets Trump at Turnberry 08:53 , David Maddox 08:53 , David Maddox Starmer’s golf swing will be the least of his worries with Trump at Turnberry
Watch: Stephen Flynn jokes he’ll be ‘washing hair’ when Donald Trump visits UK 08:45 , Alexander Butler 08:45 , Alexander Butler
What is happening in Scotland during Trump’s visit? 08:35 , Alexander Butler 08:35 , Alexander Butler This morning, Sir Keir Starmer will meet the US president in Turnberry, Ayrshire. In the afternoon a bilateral meeting will be held. Following the meeting at Turnberry, Mr Trump and Sir Keir will travel for a private engagement in Aberdeenshire. Sir Keir is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and the future of tariffs on British steel. In his talks with Mr Trump, Sir Keir will “welcome the President’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza”, Number 10 said. “He will discuss further with him 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.”
Keir Starmer to recall cabinet from summer break for emergency meeting on Gaza crisis 08:25 , Alexander Butler 08:25 , Alexander Butler Sir Keir Starmer will recall his cabinet from their summer break for an emergency meeting on the Gaza crisis after coming under growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state and amid mounting concern over humanitarian conditions in the region. Ministers, who are in a summer recess until 1 September, are expected to reconvene this week to discuss the situation in the Middle East. It comes after peace talks came to a standstill last week after Washington and Israel recalled negotiating teams from Qatar, with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas for a “lack of desire” to reach an agreement. Since then, Israel has promised military pauses in three populated areas of Gaza to allow designated UN convoys of aid to reach desperate Palestinians. But the UK, which is joining efforts to airdrop aid into the enclave and evacuate children in need of medical assistance, has said that access to supplies must be “urgently” widened. Read the full story: Keir Starmer to recall cabinet from summer break for emergency meeting on Gaza crisis
Minister cannot say whether RAF will be directly involved in plans to airdrop aid to Gaza 08:15 , Millie Cooke 08:15 , Millie Cooke Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds could not say whether the RAF would be directly involved in plans to airdrop aid into Gaza, but warned that the delivery “cannot wait”. Speaking to Sky News ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer on Monday – in which the two leaders are expected to discuss the situation in the Middle East – the business secretary said: “We know the only way to get sufficient quantities of aid into Gaza is for that blockade to end, for those vehicles to get on the ground. “The point about the air drops is that we cannot wait. We’ve got to do something. It’s an unconscionable situation. We can all see the lapse in humanity on display, and we’ve got to do things to do that.” He added: “I don’t know about the operational implementation, but on the air drops, as a country, we’re always standing by.”
Pictured: Trump plays golf in Scotland over the weekend 08:58 , Alexander Butler Donald Trump waves as he plays golf (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire) (Getty Images) 08:58 , Alexander Butler
US has ‘the leverage’ to make a difference in the Middle East, says business secretary 08:04 , Millie Cooke 08:04 , Millie Cooke The US has enough leverage to turn the dial on the conflict in Gaza, the business secretary suggested, ahead of crunch talks between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump on Monday. The UK prime minister is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas during today’s meeting, amid mounting concern over humanitarian conditions in the region. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Jonathan Reynolds said: “Of course, Gaza will be on the agenda today… The intolerable scenes that we’re seeing, the world is seeing, are the backdrop to that. “And of course, the US has itself secured on two occasions ceasefires in the conflict, so they have been actively engaged in it, working with Egypt, the Qataris, and other key partners in the region. “The US is the country I think we’d all recognise with the leverage here to really make a difference on both sides. So their role is fundamentally important.”
There is ‘no doubt’ UK-US tariff deal is a ‘benefit of Brexit’, business secretary insists 08:00 , Millie Cooke 08:00 , Millie Cooke There is “no doubt” that the UK’s trade terms with the United States are a “benefit of Brexit”, the business secretary said. Jonathan Reynolds was speaking ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with Donald Trump today, where the two leaders are expected to discuss trade as well as the situation in the middle east. Asked whether the UK’s 10 per cent tariff rate as part of the trade deal with the US – compared to the EU’s 15 per cent rate – is a benefit of Brexit, Mr Reynolds told Sky News: “I’ve said in Parliament many times, this is a benefit of being out of the European Union, having our independent trade policy. “There is absolutely no doubt about that. What I’m also driven by is the hard economic data, and you’re right, there have been costs as well.”
Trump ‘uniquely positioned’ to end Gaza conflict, says Scottish FM 07:59 , Alexander Butler 07:59 , Alexander Butler John Swinney was asked whether his previous claim that Donald Trump’s call for the displacement of the Gazan people out of the region amounted to “ethnic cleansing” would have an impact on his meeting with the US president. The First Minister replied: “I think what’s important is that we focus on the solutions that are required now, and the absolutely immediate situation is a necessity for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to need to flow into Gaza so that the people of Gaza can be saved from the starvation that they face. And that is the blunt human reality of the situation that we face, and there must be an intensification of pressure on Israel. “And I think President Trump is ideally positioned. In fact, he’s perhaps uniquely positioned to apply that pressure to Israel to ensure that there is safe passage for humanitarian aid to support the people of Gaza, who face an absolutely unbearable set of circumstances as a consequence of the conflict. “And a key part of that must be the application of a durable ceasefire, the flow of humanitarian aid and the progress towards a two state solution in the Middle East.” Scottish First Minister John Swinney is also due to hold talks with the US President (Steve Welsh/PA)
‘More to do’ on US steel tariffs than Trump and PM can resolve, minister signals
The Prime Minister will meet US President Donald Trump on Monday. But there is still no deal over the 25% tariffs on UK steel imports. Mr Trump is also expected to discuss the plight of the Palestinian people. He is expected to use the meeting to call for more aid to be sent to the region. The UK government has pledged £1.5billion in aid to the Palestinian Authority. It is the first time the UK has given more than £1billion to a single country in a single year. The move is seen as a major step in the right direction for the Palestinians to be able to claim more of the £2.5bn in aid from the West Bank and the rest of the world that they are entitled to receive from the UN. The UN has said it is ‘deeply concerned’ about the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been hit by a series of natural disasters.
The Prime Minister will attempt to hammer out a deal on steel import levies when he meets the US president at Turnberry, Mr Trump’s Ayrshire golf course.
Sir Keir and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney also plan to urge the US president to apply pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the population is facing starvation.
When the UK and US signed a trade deal in June, it reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports to the US.
But agreement on a similar arrangement for Britain’s steel imports was not reached, leaving tariffs on steel at 25%.
American concerns over steel products made elsewhere in the world, then finished in the UK, are said to be among the sticking points.
Sir Keir is expected to spend most of the day with President Trump on Monday, when he will have a chance to press the president on a steel deal.
But Business Secretary Mr Reynolds suggested it may take more than a meeting between the two leaders to resolve the matter, telling BBC Breakfast: “We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy.
“But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn’t job done. There’s more to do.
“The negotiations have been going on on a daily basis since then. There’s a few issues to push a little bit further today.
“We won’t perhaps have anything to announce a resolution of those talks, but there’s some sectors that we still need to resolve, particularly around steel and aluminium, and there’s the wider conversation about what the US calls its reciprocal tariffs.”
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has signalled there is ‘more to do’ on steel tariff talks with the US. (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)
It comes after Mr Trump announced he had agreed “the biggest deal ever made” between the US and the European Union after meeting Ursula von der Leyen for high-stakes talks at Turnberry on Sunday.
After a day playing golf, the US leader met the president of the EU Commission to discuss the broad terms of an agreement that will subject the bloc to 15% tariffs on most of its goods entering America.
This is lower than a 30% levy previously threatened by the US president.
Sir Keir is also likely to use his time with Mr Trump to raise the starvation faced by the population of Gaza.
The Prime Minister has condemned Israel for restricting the flow of aid into the territory, alongside the leaders of France and Germany.
The UK will take part in efforts led by Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza, Sir Keir said over the weekend.
Elsewhere, he is facing pressure from more than 220 MPs to immediately recognise the state of Palestine, something which French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to do.
Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Gaza City, Gaza Strip (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) (AP)
The US is the country “with the leverage” to make a difference in the conflict in Gaza, the Business Secretary suggested.
Mr Reynolds told BBC Breakfast that Gaza would “of course” be on the agenda for the meeting of the two leaders, adding: “The intolerable scenes that we’re seeing, the world is seeing, are the backdrop to that.
“And of course, the US has itself secured on two occasions ceasefires in the conflict, so they have been actively engaged in it, working with Egypt, the Qataris, and other key partners in the region.”
Mr Swinney also promised to raise Gaza with Mr Trump, as it was “causing deep unease and concern and heartbreak within Scotland”.
Keir Starmer to recall cabinet from summer break for emergency meeting on Gaza crisis
Sir Keir Starmer will recall his cabinet from their summer break for an emergency meeting on the Gaza crisis. It comes after growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state and amid mounting concern over humanitarian conditions in the region. The UK is joining efforts to airdrop aid into the enclave and evacuate children in need of medical assistance. Sir Keir is meeting with US president Donald Trump in Scotland on Monday and is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas during the talks. He will “welcome the President’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza”, Number 10 said. The leaders will also talk “one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links”.
Ministers, who are in a summer recess until September 1, are expected to reconvene this week to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
It comes after peace talks came to a standstill last week after Washington and Israel recalled negotiating teams from Qatar, with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas for a “lack of desire” to reach an agreement.
Since then, Israel has promised military pauses in three populated areas of Gaza to allow designated UN convoys of aid to reach desperate Palestinians.
But the UK, which is joining efforts to airdrop aid into the enclave and evacuate children in need of medical assistance, has said that access to supplies must be “urgently” widened.
Sir Keir is meeting with US president Donald Trump in Scotland on Monday and is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas during the talks.
The prime minister will travel to Ayrshire, where the US president is staying at his Turnberry golf resort, for wide-ranging discussions on trade and the Middle East as international alarm grows over starvation in Gaza.
The two leaders have built a rapport on the world stage despite their differing political backgrounds, with Mr Trump praising Sir Keir for doing a “very good job” in office ahead of their talks on Monday.
But humanitarian conditions in Gaza and uncertainty over US import taxes on key British goods in America threaten to complicate their bilateral meeting.
In his talks with Mr Trump, Sir Keir will “welcome the President’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza”, Number 10 said.
“He will discuss further with him 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 leaders will also talk “one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries”, it said.
Sir Keir Starmer will meet with the US president Monday (PA Wire)
Speaking to Sky News on Monday, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds could not say whether the RAF would be directly involved in plans to airdrop aid into Gaza but warned that the delivery of aid “cannot wait”.
“We know the only way to get sufficient quantities of aid into Gaza is for that blockade to end, for those vehicles to get on the ground. The point about the air drops is that we cannot wait. We’ve got to do something. It’s an unconscionable situation.
“We can all see the lapse in humanity on display, and we’ve got to do things to do that.”
He added: “I don’t know about the operational implementation, but on the air drops, as a country, we’re always standing by.”
Trump and Starmer to discuss Ukraine and Gaza in Scotland
The two will meet at a golf property owned by the US president’s family in southwestern Scotland. They will then travel to Aberdeen, where there is another Trump golf course and a third is set to open soon. Discussions between the two heads of state are expected to cover US tariffs, Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The new trade agreement between the US and EU will see a blanket tariff of 15% on most EU goods imported to the US.
The two will meet at a golf property owned by the US president’s family in southwestern Scotland. They will then travel to Aberdeen, where there is another Trump golf course and a third is set to open soon.
Discussions between the two heads of state are expected to cover US tariffs, Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, among other topics.
According to Starmer’s office, they will address diplomatic steps necessary to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table within the next 50 days. London is also reportedly hoping for deeper US involvement in Gaza ceasefire talks.
Protesters have planned a demonstration near Trump’s existing course after previously taking to the streets on Saturday to decry the American president’s visit.
The discussions follow a meeting between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry course on Sunday. The two announce a new trade framework – though many major details remain pending.
The new trade agreement between the US and EU will see a blanket tariff of 15% on most EU goods imported to the US and is set to kick in on Friday. It means that the EU will avoid 30% tariffs previously threatened by Trump.
At a previous G7 summit in Canada, Starmer and Trump signed a trade agreement lifting US tariffs on British aerospace exports and reducing duties on auto-related goods from 25% to 10% while increasing the amount of US beef it pledged to import.
The US ran a $11.4 billion trade surplus with the UK last year, meaning it exported more than it imported. US Census Bureau figures this year indicate that the surplus could grow.
Trump is set to return to the UK in September for an unprecedented second state visit. Trump will be hosted then by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.
Politics latest: UK hopes to recognise Palestinian state ‘in this parliament’, says cabinet minister
UK government will recognise Palestinian state ‘in this parliament’, says senior minister. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds spoke to Sky’s Wilfred Frost. He said the UK will be involved in airdrops of aid amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. Reynolds described the situation as “unconscionable” and “lapse in humanity on display” But he insisted the UK government has taken action to pressure Israel into increasing aid access.
We’ve just been speaking to the business secretary about the situation in Gaza, and whether the UK will be involved in airdrops of aid amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Jonathan Reynolds told Sky’s Wilfred Frost that “we know the only way to get sufficient quantities of aid into Gaza is for that [Israeli] blockade [of Gaza] to end”
But “the point about the airdrops is that we cannot wait – we’ve got to do something”, he said.
“We can all see that the lapse in humanity on display,” Reynolds continued, describing the situation as “unconscionable”.
He went on to say that he is not aware of the “operational” details of the plan for airdrops, but insisted the UK government has taken action to pressure Israel into increasing aid access.
The government is under vast pressure to recognise a Palestinian state, and Reynolds told Wilfred that ministers “want to” and “will” do just that.
“The question is – how can we use that in a way that gives a genuine breakthrough to a real peaceful process?” he said.
“I know many countries around the world have already done this. To be frank, to be candid, it hasn’t stopped the appalling scenes that we’re talking about this morning.
“So we’ve got to use this moment – you can only do it once. Use it in a way that gets the breakthrough that we need. And the US is really important in that.”
Wilfred as if the government will recognise a Palestinian state in this parliament.
The senior minister replied: “In this parliament, yes. I mean, if it delivers the breakthrough that we need.
“But don’t forget, we can only do this once. If we do it in a way which is tokenistic, doesn’t produce the end to this conflict, where do we go to next?”