Donald Trump’s second state visit in six years starts today at King Charles’s Windsor estate in style: a carriage ride (past Harry and Meghan’s old haunt of Frogmore Cottage, as it happens), a lavish evening banquet and panoply of military bands and fly pasts. It is a massive ceremonial courtesy to a mighty US President by an embattled ally, on behalf of a Prime Minister who needs a hefty dose of political vitamins.
For all the festivity, there is not much sign of significant movement on tariffs on the “big enchiladas” – such as relief on the punitive tariffs now levied on steel exports to the US. The more modest (though advantageous) prize are new UK-US co-operations in areas like quantum computing deals to combat Chinese superiority and address associated security risks as well as shared nuclear power enhancements. But these gains, are much further down the line – and the Keir crisis is very much now.
