EMMANUEL Macron is to make a UK state visit for the first time – months before Donald Trump makes his own trip to meet the King.
The French president has been invited by the King to visit at the end of next month as it marks eight years since he first took office.
3
3
3
The plans of the visit are being kept strictly under wraps, with a mere few government and royal officials having knowledge on who’s been invited and the timings, The Times reports.
US President Trump suggested on Thursday from the Oval Office that his own visit was being planned for September.
He said of his second invitation: “The reason is we have two separate terms, and it’s an honour.
“I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William, we have really just a great respect for the family.”
The invitation from Charles was revealed when Sir Keir Starmer visited Washington in February.
During the meeting, Trump publicly accepted the King’s invitation and said: “The answer is yes. We look forward to being there and honouring the King, honouring the country.”
And while no date has been set yet, Trump added on Thursday: “I think they’re setting a date for September.”
US presidents aren’t offered a state visit during their second term, but alternatively invited for tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle.
Trump met the late Queen in 2018 at the Castle, as opposed to the expected Balmoral or Dumfries House.
Both state visits are expected to take place at Windsor due to the. refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.
The seemingly strategic order of the two visits are set to raise questions, with Downing Street likely to point out that Trump had a state visit in his first term.
Meanwhile, Starmer held “productive” trade talks with Donald Trump in the race to mitigate punishing US tariffs on Friday.
The PM spoke to the US President for the first time since he imposed the levies on UK goods heading Stateside.
The US has put in place a baseline levy of ten per cent on all imports — with a 25 per cent duty on cars, aluminium and steel.
No 10 said: “The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to free and open trade and the importance of protecting the national interest.”
The talks came after White House officials said this week that a deal could be agreed within three weeks.
Rachel Reeves is to travel to the US next week as the UK looks to secure a trade deal to soften the blow of punishing tariffs.
The Chancellor was pressed on whether a deal could be finalised in three weeks which had been suggested by White House officials.
Britain is looking to reduce the full force of 10 per cent levies on all goods and 25 per cent levy on cars.
UK-US trade deal ‘will be agreed in just THREE WEEKS’
By Milad Sherzad, News Reporter
A TRADE deal between the UK and US will be agreed to within just three weeks, an insider has revealed.
White House officials want to achieve the rapid deal with Britain as President Donald Trump aims to isolate China in his global tariff trade war, the insider claimed.
This comes just days after US vice-president JD Vance eased worries in financial markets when he predicted Trump would agree to a “great” deal with London, due to his “cultural affinity” with the UK.
A White House official told The Telegraph he expected an agreement to be reached “soon”, adding it could be achieved within “two weeks, or maybe three”.
Britain was hit by a flat 10 per cent tariff by the US President earlier this month as part of his “liberation day”, which saw him enforce trade barriers on countries around the world.
China has been hit with tariffs of 145 per cent by the White House, and has responded itself with a tax of 125 per cent on imports from the US.
The World Trade Organisation said this could see business between the two giants plunge by 90 per cent.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday there were already 15 trade deals being negotiated, after more than 75 nations reached out to land deals before the 90-day pause on more aggressive tariffs expires.
After Trump revealed his varying tariffs for countries around the world, stock markets were sent into freefall and diplomatic crises ensued.
Following the devastating effects, the US president rolled back on his announcement, placing a blanket 10 per cent tariff on all imports globally for 90 days, except those from China.
While he has kept the large levy on the Asian country, he rolled back on placing it on all imports, sparing iPhones, laptops, and other electronics from the brutal tariffs.
In terms of an agreement with Britain, Trump officials have publicly and privately said the UK is in a good position for a quick deal as it imports more from the US than it exports.
The president had heavily targeted countries with tariffs which exported more to the US than they imported.
However, some officials have cautioned that Britain’s safety cannot be guaranteed, due to Trump’s unpredictable nature.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former strategist, said a deal with the UK would be one of the fastest and easiest to negotiate.
He said: “You (Britain) don’t make anything anymore [that] we’re trying to bring back – that’s why Japan and Korea will be tough.”
“Sure you guys make automobiles but it is nothing in the grand scheme of things – they’re kind of bespoke Jaguars and Aston Martins.”
