Donald Trump’s admiration for the British royal family gives Sir Keir Starmer a unique card to play, and he has played it with a ruthless absence of modesty. From the moment the prime minister produced the King’s invitation from his jacket pocket in the Oval Office, Operation Flatter Trump has been in top gear.
So far, it has been a success, in that Sir Keir has secured some relief from the tariffs originally proposed by the president, and a better deal for the United Kingdom than most other countries have been able to achieve. This may not be a great advance, but it does mean that the damage from a foolish and counterproductive policy has been mitigated.
