Good morning. What’s wooden, a bit wet, and gets walked all over? Not the UK’s prime minister, of course – heaven forfend – but the thing he is aspiring to be on his visit to Washington today: a bridge. And while my slightly overworked joke isn’t entirely fair, it does get at the central dilemma facing Keir Starmer as he meets with Donald Trump.
On the flight over, Starmer told reporters that US security guarantees are the only way to stop Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine again. The view in Downing Street is that if you want to be the link man for Washington’s relationship with Europe and secure such a commitment, there is no point in confronting Trump with disagreements. Instead, they say, it is better to show him ways that the UK is following his agenda – hence the timing of the announcement on an increase in military funding.
