The ‘special relationship’ will likely dominate the headlines early this week, with King Charles III arriving in the US today (27 April) for a state visit.
The trip comes shortly after US President Donald Trump was hurried away from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend after a gunman fired shots during the event.
Back home, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is also bracing himself for another week of scrutiny over the vetting process for the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
King’s visit
King Charles’ visit to the US this week is about “renewing and revitalising a unique friendship”, the UK’s ambassador, Sir Christian Turner, told the BBC.
The visit comes following a difficult period in UK-US relations, with Trump lambasting Starmer for not being more proactive in his support for the US-Israeli military campaign in the Middle East.
The US president has told the media that his British counterpart is “no Winston Churchill” and said the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal, signed last year to reduce the scale of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on British exports to the US, “can always be changed”.
On Friday, Trump further threatened to “put a big tariff on the UK” if it doesn’t drop its digital services tax – a 2% levy that is applicable to the revenues of several US tech giants.
There is hope, however, that the King’s trip could remedy recent fractures in the UK-US relationship. In a phone interview with the BBC, when asked if the royal visit could repair the relationship, Trump said:
"Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is ‘yes’."
Starmer spoke with Trump yesterday (26 April) for around 10 minutes to send his best wishes following the “shocking scenes” of the shooting at the Washington correspondents’ dinner.
Moments to watch out for
The King and Queen are travelling to the White House today and will meet with the president at the White House.
King Charles will then have a private sit-down with Trump in the Oval Office tomorrow (28 April), ahead of addressing Congress and attending a White House dinner.
The royal couple will wrap up the trip with visits to New York on Wednesday and Virginia on Thursday.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is travelling with Charles to provide foreign policy advice, and she will also hold a bilateral meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
Back home, technology minister Liz Kendall is expected to use a speech at an event hosted by RUSI tomorrow to warn that an over-reliance on the US tech sector is a threat to British security and that the UK needs to develop its own AI capabilities, the Times reports.
Government bracing for difficult couple of weeks
Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves are also bracing for a difficult couple of weeks on the domestic front.
The prime minister’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is expected to give evidence to parliament tomorrow about the vetting process for Lord Mandelson to become US ambassador, alongside former head of the Foreign Office, Sir Philip Barton.
With next week’s potentially disastrous local elections also now looming, the FT reports that the chancellor is preparing a new push for economic growth to assuage the concerns of forlorn Labour MPs. This will include closer ties with the EU and planning reforms.
Her efforts will not be helped by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East though, with the Times reporting that the economic fallout will last for “at least eight months”.
Also in the trade news
- Discussions are taking place this week at the International Maritime Organization in London to restore the UN’s net zero framework for shipping, amid US and Saudi opposition, the FT reports
- On Friday, European institutions agreed a roadmap for achieving ‘One Europe, One Market’ by the end of 2027 – the European Commission describes this as a “decisive step to urgently strengthen Europe's competitiveness”
- On the same day, the EU also agreed an ‘Action Plan for Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience’ with the US
Other key dates for the diary
- Monday: UN Security Council meets to discuss maritime security and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz
- Tuesday: Deadline arrives for Kosovo to elect a new president or face a snap election
- Wednesday: US Federal Reserve announces interest rate decision
- Thursday: Bank of England announces interest rate decision
- Friday: First review of UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement due
- Saturday: 15 years to have passed since Osama bin Laden’s death
- Sunday: World Press Freedom Day
