KEIR Starmer must shoot down false claims, milk his dry personality and “let Trump pump” in his presidential meeting, according to former No10 staffers.
The Prime Minister will be “briefed up to his eyeballs” and is likely nervous, but must be “firm” – or the conversation could fly “off the rails”.
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The crunch head-to-head is the most important for a British PM “since Churchill’s in World War Two”, Tim Willasey-Wilsey, a former senior foreign diplomat, told The Sun.
He said Starmer has a “great opportunity” today to build a relationship with Trump after the US president blindsided Europe and veered towards Russia.
Graham Davies, Rishi Sunak’s former presentation coach, told us “wooden” Starmer must nail key power poses and explained how to avoid a Macron-style arm wrestle.
And Gavin Barwell, who many times steered May through Don’s choppy waters, said Starmer must “talk himself up” to face down “creature of mood” Trump.
READ MORE ON TRUMP & STARMER
The key issue the pair will hammer out is that of security guarantees for Ukraine in the case of any peace deal.
MAKE WOODEN WORK
Starmer’s only hope is to “do what Starmer does best – being serious”, Willasey-Wilsey, a visiting professor at KCL, said.
He added: “The PM isn’t charismatic, but he’s respectful and sensible. He’s got to avoid all that bouncy stuff Macron did.”
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, had a chummy meeting with Trump on Monday – and has since compared notes with Starmer.
Davies – who has coached Michael Gove and Kemi Badenoch – agrees.
He said: “Keir Starmer will always be wooden, because he’s a straight, serious, prosecution, barrister. He shouldn’t try and change his DNA.”
Trump, meanwhile, prefers to “shout loudly and wave all sorts of sticks”, according to Davies.
LET TRUMP PUMP
One hurdle will be the famously unpredictable and often loopy Trump handshake.
The president has shattered convention in the past by strolling hand-in-hand with Theresa May and white-knuckling Macron.
Davies said: “Trump likes to pull the leader towards him, to try and quite literally catch him off balance.
“Keir Starmer, should stand with one foot slightly in front of the other, to make sure he’s braced for that.
“He should then let Trump pump for as long as he wants to.”
Sir Keir must also strike a power stance on the White House chairs by perching right at the front, Davies said.
He advised Starmer to mirror Trump’s seating position – as Macron did – where “his buttocks are almost hanging off” the chair
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READY FOR ANYTHING
Trump is notorious for loping between subjects – so Starmer must expect the unexpected, the officials warned.
Barwell found out the hard way that a Trump meeting is “unlike any other world leader”, and follows his wild “chain of thought”.
He revealed May’s meeting with Trump often bore “virtually no relation” to what his team prepped for.
The No10 staffer said Starmer will be at the mercy of “creature-of-mood” Trump’s temperament, and it will quickly become clear what tone the meeting will take.
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As Chief of Staff in July 2018, Barwell had to deal with a fizzing curve-ball ahead of May’s meeting with Trump.
The president said in an interview with The Sun that May’s Brexit plan would “probably kill” any trade deal with the US – hours before the leaders sat down.
He said Starmer will have “war-gamed” the meeting in advance – even practising with an aide “role-playing Trump” to cover any eventuality.
The president’s lurching conversation style is fuelled by an “incredibly short attention span”, according to Willasey-Wilsey.
LAY IT ON THICK(ISH)
Willasey-Wilsey said the president is “amazingly vain” – but that Starmer can use to his advantage.
He said: “Keir can appeal to his vanity a little bit – he is the president of the United States after all. But he’s got to do it without pleading.”
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Starmer should tickle Trump’s belly a little, according to Barwell, by “beginning with some flattery – a bit of fluffing him up”, but avoid going too far.
Keir tried to soften up Trump by announcing this week that spending on defence would rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
Willasey-Wilsey said Trump – who splashes 3.4 per cent on defence – “won’t be wowed” by the hike, but it is “in the right direction”.
FIRM BUT FAIR
The US president has been called out for incorrect statements on a number of occasions.
The experts said Starmer must be on high-alert, ready to stop false claims slipping through the net – as Macron managed so well on Monday.
Barwell said Starmer must be prepared to be “blunt sometimes” and call out sloppy claims, but warned: “Too much correction, and the meeting could become a constant row.”
He said Keir must strike the “right balance of flattery and assertiveness”.
It will be particularly important to correct any Trump errors in the joint press conference, Davies said, but without pitting him as an “enemy”.
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The presentation coach said Starmer can use his “precise and ponderous” nature to stop Trump from “bulldozing through” with “bluster and braggadocio”.
“Short, carefully-crafted” sentences built on “irrefutable facts” are his best bet, Davies said.
Willasey-Wilsey explained that what the president best understands – as a billionaire businessman – is “the downside of making a mistake”.
So, Starmer must “show Trump over the precipice”, he said.
TOO MUCH TO SAY
Starmer should not attempt to cover everything with Trump, Barwell said, particularly given his erratic nature, and must instead pursue a “single, clear priority”.
That is likely to be US involvement in security guarantees for Ukraine.
The British PM has offered to send UK troops to keep the peace, but knows only the US boasts the military clout to prevent more attacks from Putin.
And there is one fatal buzz-phrase that Willasey-Wilsey prays Starmer will avoid.
He said: “I really hope he doesn’t mention the words “special relationship”. People should have stopped using that years ago.
“It makes us look like beggars. In the early days, we were the main contributors. Now, its so far over to the other side.”
He also said Starmer would do well to produce a “small rabbit” from his hat to offer the transactional president – such as ditching the Chagos Islands deal.
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REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL?
Barwell, who helped May avoid any major meltdowns during Trump meetings, thinks Starmer will fare “okay” in the hot seat.
On whether our PM is made of the right stuff, Barwell said: “He’ll have to be”.
What he can achieve during the conversation will also depend on how long he has the President’s ear.
Willasey-Wilsey said: “The worst thing that can happen is suddenly Starmer finds he’s only got 15 minutes – that would be an absolute disaster.
“But if he gets his full hour or two hours – he’s got the chance of turning Trump significantly away from the route he’s taken.”
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