Starmer to push Trump on Gaza, spark trade boom in Scotland
b>Starmer meets Trump: Gaza, trade, and a new golf course
Why the meeting matters
b>Prime Minister Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on ending the unspeakable suffering in Gaza and on finalising a UK‑US trade agreement, when they meet at Trump’s golf resort in Scotland on Monday.
Flashpoint: a day after the United States and the European Union reached a landmark deal to resolve a trans‑Atlantic standoff over tariffs, Starmer is expected to push Trump to revive stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as Gaza’s hunger crisis deepens.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis dominates the talks
- b>Starmer will welcome the president’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza.
- b>Trump, who said the United States would give more aid to Gaza, urged other countries to step up as well.
- b>Trump accused Hamas of intercepting aid, saying they “steal the food, they’re stealing a lot of things, you ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it.”
- b>Humanitarian chiefs remain skeptical that aid drops can deliver enough food safely for Gaza’s more than two million inhabitants.
- b>Israel declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of Gaza and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle the hunger crisis.
Trade talks stay on the agenda
Starmer and Trump will also discuss progress on implementing a recent UK‑US trade deal, which lowered tariffs for certain UK exports but has yet to come into force.
b>Trump said the agreement was “great” for both sides, but the UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told BBC Breakfast that it wasn’t a job done and cautioned not to expect any announcement of a resolution on issues such as steel and aluminium tariffs.
European worries and domestic pressure
European countries are expressing growing alarm at the situation in Gaza. Starmer faces domestic pressure to follow France’s lead and recognise a Palestinian state.
- b>More than 220 MPs in Britain’s 650‑seat parliament demand that he recognise Palestinian statehood.
- b>Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told ITV that “every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state” and that it was “a case of when, not if.”
After the meeting
The two leaders will travel together to Aberdeen, where Trump is expected to formally open a new golf course at his resort on Tuesday. Trump’s five‑day visit mixes leisure with diplomacy, and further blurs the lines between the presidency and his business interests.
