LONDON — British and American officials have restarted talks on steel tariffs in the run-up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit next week. After months of radio silence over the summer, negotiations to implement new quotas lowering the duties on steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. began again earlier this month, two people close to the talks told POLITICO. It comes as Donald Trump prepares to travel to the U.K. for a historic second state visit, with British officials hoping to use the occasion to push for a breakthrough on tariffs as well as a long-coveted tech partnership. Britain’s steel and aluminum makers have faced 25 percent tariffs at the U.S. border since March. While U.K. firms dodged Trump’s doubling of those duties in the spring, negotiations to lower tariffs further — as promised in May’s trade pact — have been slow-moving. The talks are also politically sensitive for Britain’s governing Labour Party, which is facing pressure from the insurgent Reform UK party in the country’s industrial heartlands. “We know they’ve been talking about steel again and looking at the U.K.’s proposal on quotas,” said one of the people familiar with the negotiations. Like others quoted in this report, they were granted anonymity to speak freely about ongoing talks. Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images U.K. trade officials “really want to get something over the line,” said the second person familiar with the talks, noting that the discussions were “quite advanced before the pause over the summer began.” ‘RAPID DISCUSSIONS’ During a split-screen Oval Office phone call in May, Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an agreement promising “rapid discussions” to secure a quota for U.K. exports of the metals. The deal would allow a certain amount of steel, aluminum and their derivative products to pass from the U.K. into the U.S. at tariff rates significantly lower than 25 percent. When Trump visited Scotland in July, he said a reduction in his tariffs on U.K. steel and aluminum would come “pretty soon.” But five months after the May deal was signed, the U.K. is still lobbying U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to get the White House to put those quotas in place. “The longer this goes on, the more uncertain it is, the more damaging it is, the less likely we are going to get growth, and the more threat there is to the jobs that are associated,” said Chris Southworth, head of the International Chamber of Commerce UK. There is “a great opportunity” to conclude the steel talks on the fringes of the state visit, Southworth added. “We need a solution quickly.” MELT AND POUR RULES The U.S. has strict rules on imports of steel and aluminum, meaning the metals must be melted and poured in their country of origin to qualify for tariff relief. But the requirements have been a tall order for Britain’s steel sector after its largest exporter to the U.S. — Tata Steel UK’s Port Talbot steel mill — shut last September. The firm is switching to greener arc furnaces which aren’t expected to start operating until 2027. In the meantime, the firm has been importing steel from its plants in India and the Netherlands. “I don’t think these are unmanageable issues,” said a person briefed by the White House. “If the U.K. can figure out how to agree to the ring-fencing demands of the U.S., then I think it should be pretty easy.” Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images One solution, they said, “could be they just have a lower … quota to protect against the Indian steel coming through, and then have an agreement to raise it automatically once [Tata’s Port Talbot site] comes back online.” Trump’s state visit is “exactly the kind of opportunity to make an announcement in front of the TV cameras,” the first person quoted above said. “If it’s not now, I worry about when it will ever happen.” “We are committed to going further to give industry the security they need,” said a U.K. government spokesperson. “We will continue to work with the US to get this deal implemented as soon as possible and in industry’s best interests.”

LONDON — Britain’s business and trade ministry is preparing to cut 600 roles from its overseas network, raising concerns about the government’s ability to support British exporters abroad. The ministry is also reeling from a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, with all of its previous ministers moving into other departments or leaving government over the weekend. It comes as the U.K. navigates a rapidly shifting global trade order and battles to attract investment to drive the government’s growth agenda. The overseas cuts are part of a broader plan to reduce the Department for Business and Trade’s headcount by 20 percent — with most redundancies expected before April 2027. A figure familiar with the developments said staff are concerned about the pace and scale of the cuts.  While a Voluntary Exit Scheme ran in June, uptake fell short of the department’s target, according to the person. Permanent Secretary Gareth Davies is now refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies. James Manning, a former U.K. trade negotiator, said: “While efficiencies are clearly needed given the fiscal challenges facing the government, reducing the U.K.’s overseas trade policy and promotion staffing at a time when the global trade system is under extreme strain is a clear risk.” He added that “it will likely make it harder for ministers’ to deliver on their pledge to boost support to U.K. exporters, as set out in the Trade Strategy published earlier this year.” Some export promotion work is expected to shift to foreign office staff, with diplomats asked by former Foreign Secretary David Lammy to promote the U.K. overseas.  But Manning, now a director at FTI Consulting, warned: “Given the UK’s trade expertise has been highly concentrated in the Department for Business and Trade and its predecessor departments, it is also unlikely that the FCDO will be able to immediately plug the capability gaps this will inevitably create.” THREAT OF OFFICE CLOSURES  DBT is also threatening the closure of nine regional offices outside London — with planned consultations due to begin. These include Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow, Guildford, Ipswich, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Titchfield.  The Guildford office has already closed, while the Bristol and Titchfield offices are set to shut in early 2026, according to the person cited above. These regional offices help local businesses access government support and promote trade and investment in the region.  PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote said the government has done this “without even a nod to union consultation and without offering any kind of rationale.” She called the 20 percent reduction of staff “a personal disaster for many of our dedicated members as well as for the effectiveness of the department.”  “Any agreed future changes must be transparent and implemented carefully to help allay the serious anxiety that DBT staff are feeling,” she urged.  The Department for Business and Trade said no final decision had been taken on where cuts would fall, adding it is standard practice to review agreements when office leases come up for renewal.  “As part of Government plans to reshape the state and deliver our Plan for Change, DBT will support a leaner and more efficient Civil Service, helping to reduce administration costs by 15% by the end of the decade and to avoid duplication across departments,” said a DBT spokesperson. “In line with these plans, we propose to reduce the Department in size, but we will look to avoid redundancies wherever possible.”

KANANASKIS, Alberta — U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to lower tariffs on British autos from 25 percent to 10 percent by the end of June, after signing a U.K.-U.S. trade deal with Keir Starmer. Brandishing the signed copy of the deal, after originally dropping the papers on the ground, Trump said the deal would “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.” However, the final agreement — signed at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada — has omitted a key part of the original deal. Steel and aluminum tariffs will, for now, remain at 25 percent instead of dropping to 0 percent as originally agreed. British officials say the two sides will continue to negotiate on cutting these tariffs. Standing beside Trump, Starmer said: “This now implements on car tariffs and aerospace of our really important agreement, and so this is a very good day for both of our countries.” Trump also appeared to suggest Britain will be protected from further universal tariffs. He said: “The U.K. is very well protected, you know why? Because I like ‘em, that’s why. That’s their ultimate protection.” Outlined in a U.S. order, the deal will see the Trump administration commit to carving out exemptions for U.K. aerospace goods, such as engines and similar aircraft parts, from the baseline 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports. U.K. aerospace parts are also set to be excluded from any further tariffs imposed on the sector following a national security review by the Trump administration. U.K. Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds signaled last week that negotiations to lower U.S. tariffs on U.K. steel and aluminum could take longer. The focus of current discussions is “not about who owns it — it’s the melt and pour rules,” he told reporters, referring to rules which would mean that steel must be melted and poured in the U.K. to qualify for tariff relief. Both countries will also remain focused on securing preferential outcomes for further tariffs the White House might impose on pharmaceuticals as part of Section 232 investigations. Reynolds said: “Bringing trade deals into force can take several months, yet we are delivering on the first set of agreements in a matter of weeks. And we won’t stop there.”

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Die Welt wartet auf das Gespräch zwischen Donald Trump und Wladimir Putin an diesem Nachmittag. Gordon Repinski spricht mit Hans von der Burchard. Er war für POLITICO den ganzen Tag im Regierungsviertel unterwegs und hat sich dort über die neuesten Entwicklungen vor dem Termin informiert. Er berichtet von der ebenso erwartungsvollen wie angespannten Stimmung in diesen Stunden. Johanna Sahlberg fasst die wichtigsten Ergebnisse des EU-UK-Summits zusammen, die soeben vom britischen Premier Keir Starmer und EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen vorgestellt worden sind. Beide Seiten wollen ihre Beziehungen neu starten. Wie das nahezu alle Themen von Verteidigung bis Fischerei betrifft, hört ihr von Johanna. Mehr zum EU-UK-Summit lest ihr auch in unserem Newsletter ‘Brussels Decoded’. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen auf den neuesten Stand in Sachen Politik — kompakt, europäisch, hintergründig. Und für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Unser Berlin Playbook-Newsletter liefert jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Hier gibt es alle Informationen und das kostenlose Playbook-Abo. Mehr von Berlin Playbook-Host und Executive Editor von POLITICO in Deutschland, Gordon Repinski, gibt es auch hier:   Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.

LONDON — The new U.K. trade deal with India does not undercut British workers, a government minister insisted Wednesday, amid a bitter political row about the long-sought agreement’s labor provisions. Speaking to the BBC, Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds defended exempting some temporary Indian workers and their employers from paying the U.K.’s national insurance employment tax — and argued this would not disadvantage their British counterparts. “There is no situation where I would ever tolerate British workers being undercut through any trade agreement we would sign,” Reynolds said. “That is not part of this deal.” The trade secretary instead attacked his Tory critics — who have dubbed the measure a “two-tier tax” — and said they had failed to understand the reality of the deal. When “a business in India seconds someone for a short period of time to the U.K., or a U.K. business seconds a worker to India for a short period of time … you don’t pay in simultaneously now to both social security systems,” Reynolds said. Reynolds highlighted existing agreements with 50 countries including the U.S. and Canada — and pointed out that the last Conservative government signed an agreement with similar provisions with Chile. The Double Contributions Convention agreed with India came as part of a wider trade deal that the U.K. has talked up as offering a much-needed boost to the country’s stagnant economy. An economic forecast by the British government suggests the deal will increase the U.K.’s GDP by £4.8 billion by 2040. The labor agreement with India is reciprocal, meaning British short-term visa holders also won’t pay social security taxes in India. SEC Newgate’s Allie Renison, an ex-government trade adviser, said: “This is a deal to avoid double taxation from falling on short-term workers in specific skilled occupations.”  She added: “The fundamental underlying principle is that temporary workers posted to each other’s jurisdictions by their companies should not have to contribute to two parallel social security schemes at the same time.”  Under the agreement, an existing visa route for some temporary workers will now be open to Indian employees, though applicants will still need to meet the usual requirements on salary and skills and a cap on overall numbers remains in place. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch, who said she had refused to sign a similar deal back when she was trade secretary, was quick to leap on the row. She accused Labour of double standards at a time it has hiked taxes on British employers, and charged Wednesday night: “When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.” Nigel Farage, whose right-wing populist Reform UK ate into both Labour and Tory votes to top last week’s local elections in England, branded the deal “astonishing.” He added: “I cannot believe the sheer stupidity of this Labour government. No wonder it was announced after the elections last Thursday.” Stefan Boscia contributed reporting.

U.K. King Charles III has invited French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit in May, months before a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump that is expected to take place in September, The Sunday Times reported. The first state visit by the French leader is being planned amid British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to relaunch relations with the European Union years after Brexit, while the U.K.’s historic American allies drift away and turn looking inward under Trump’s presidency. Macron and Starmer have in recent months led a “coalition of the willing” composed by European countries seeking to agree on security guarantees for Ukraine in case a ceasefire is achieved with Russia. As Macron schmoozes with the king in Windsor Castle, the U.K. and the EU are expected to seal a defense and security pact at a London summit on May 19 to boost military spending across Europe. While defense has served as the first steppingstone in efforts to rebuild EU-U.K. ties, its implications on trade loom large, as the pact could pave the way for further negotiations such as an agri-food standards agreement to reduce trade bureaucracy and EU plans like improved mobility for young people and students. In fact, defense pact is hinging on whether the U.K. will make concessions on fishing rights in English waters for EU fleets. Both sides are expected to use next month’s meeting to reach a common understanding of which issues will be part of Starmer’s wider U.K.-EU relations relaunch. On the other side of the Atlantic, Trump recently suggested he would visit Britain in September, after Starmer extended an invitation by King Charles during his visit to Washington in February. Trump has in recent weeks slapped hefty tariffs on countries around the world, including 10 percent duties for U.K and EU products across the board. The U.S. president hit the pause button on other heavier reciprocal tariffs to give space to negotiate new trade deals.

LONDON — British officials have not denied that a potential trade deal with the United States would include concessions on agriculture. The U.S. administration is planning to unveil so-called reciprocal tariffs on trading partners on Wednesday, dubbed “Liberation Day” by U.S. President Donald Trump. According to The Times, an economic deal with the U.S. is “on the table and ready to sign,” and would include the lowering of tariffs on imports of U.S. beef, chicken and other meat. Two U.K. officials refused to rule that out when approached by POLITICO on Tuesday. But hopes have faded the U.K. will be able to secure carve-outs before the tariffs take effect. While food standards remain a red line in negotiations, which are expected to continue beyond Wednesday, giving U.S. producers greater access to the U.K. market would put Britain’s farmers — already infuriated by tax changes — under further pressure. In an interview with Times Radio on Tuesday morning, U.K. Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said food standards were a “red line” for the U.K., suggesting Britain would not accept hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken, a major sticking point in previous negotiations. “That’s a really important area and [one] we wouldn’t be able to negotiate on and the U.S. understands that position as do other countries,” he said. “So of course there’s a set of things you talk about and some things that you can’t. I absolutely believe an agreement is possible with the U.S.” The U.K. is currently negotiating a new economic pact with the European Union which would prevent it from lowering its food standards. However, Reynolds indicated that digital services tax could be on the table in a potential deal, describing it as “temporary imposition in lieu of a wider international agreement.” UK WON’T WALK AWAY FROM TALKS During the interview, Reynolds conceded that tariffs would hit the U.K. before it could agree a deal with the U.S. “I believe from where we are at the minute, the president wants this ‘Liberation Day’ tomorrow to apply to every country in the world and there’ll be no exemptions on that first day towards that,” he said. “If any country is able to reach an agreement with the U.S., I don’t believe there’s a country better placed than the U.K. because of the work that we have been doing.” But he insisted that April 2 was “not a deadline,” adding, “If they take action tomorrow, that is not a reason to walk away from the potential to secure an agreement.” The minister also said free speech had not been a “material factor” in trade negotiations with the U.S. Commerce Department or the Office of the US Trade Representative. U.S. Vice-President JD Vance has previously accused European countries, including the U.K., of violating free speech. Speaking at a press conference during U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington DC last month, Vance said there had been “infringements on free speech” in Britain, which “also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens.”

LONDON — Keir Starmer’s Labour government plans to hold fire on any retaliation against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum expected overnight. Nations around the world are bracing for 25 percent tariffs from the Trump administration on the industrial metals as part of the president’s America First trade agenda. Trump’s tariffs will make U.K. steel £100 million more expensive for U.S. firms to import each year. The move will be a blow to the struggling sector as it transitions to green manufacturing.  Starmer raised the tariffs during a 20-minute call with Trump on Monday. “We remain prepared to defend the U.K.’s national interest where it’s right to do so,” a No 10. spokesperson said afterwards. European Union leaders have threatened to bite back against Trump with retaliatory duties on bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Yet Britain is unlikely to retaliate, an official from the U.K.’s Department for Business and Trade who agreed to speak anonymously to discuss sensitive trade issues told POLITICO. In Britain, “we’re not going to have a kneejerk reaction,” the official said, pointing out No. 10 Downing Street is emphasizing the U.K. will “continue to take a cool-headed approach” to tariffs and Trump’s antagonistic trade policy. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been in touch with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “regularly” and spoke with him over the weekend to secure exemptions for Britain’s sectors, they said. But Lutnick said on Sunday the tariffs will go ahead. Reynolds emphasized to Lutnick that “we’ve got a balanced trading relationship that works on both sides,” the U.K. trade official said. Ministers and U.K. Ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, have repeatedly argued that trade between the two countries is not lopsided with large trade deficits. Rather than retaliating with tariffs on U.S. goods, Reynolds’ “priority is engaging constructively, pragmatically and trying to find a solution,” the U.K. trade official emphasized. “That’s what standing up for industry means.” The U.K. government has devoted £2.5 billion in taxpayer support to the steel sector. Next month, the government’s cap on energy costs for industries including as steel — known as the British Industry Supercharger — also promises to cut all industrial electricity prices by a total of £410 million in 2025, further easing the pain for the industry. Nevertheless, tariffs from the U.S. “would be quite a blow” on the sector, Chrysa Glystra, trade and economics policy manager at industry body UK Steel said. The U.S. market makes up 10 percent of the total value of British steel exports. “The last thing we need is our second most-valuable export market hit by tariffs,” she said.

LONDON —  Pierre Poilievre — the frontrunner to be the next Canadian prime minister — is keen to revive trade talks with the U.K. in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, which is surging in Canada’s polls, is eager for London to return to the negotiating table after talks broke down last year. Poilievre’s Tories have “long supported opening up more overseas markets for our products and that includes supporting trade agreement talks with our close friends and allies in the U.K.,” Shadow Trade Minister Ryan Williams told POLITICO. The call comes as the specter of Trump’s tariffs looms over the country — and just days after the Trudeau administration said it wanted to revive talks. The U.S. president last week put a 30-day pause on sweeping tariffs against Canada and Mexico after both nations vowed to take a tougher stance against illegal migration and fentanyl drug trafficking. Trudeau raised the prospect of restarting the bilateral negotiations in a call with the U.K.’s Keir Starmer last Wednesday, said a Canadian official granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The two leaders “committed to renewing efforts to advance bilateral trade,” according to a Canadian readout of the call. They also “discussed the importance of working together to promote economic security and stability for people in both our countries and around the world.” Speaking after the call, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “the leaders […] discussed the strong trading relationship between the U.K. and Canada” and “how together both countries could go further to support growth.” CARMAKERS IN THE FIRING LINE Last month, Trudeau announced he is stepping down, launching a leadership race to select a new PM by early March, with Canada facing a general election before the year is out. Recent polling gives Poilievre’s Tories a 92 percent chance of winning a majority. Kemi Badenoch walked away from negotiations amid quarrels over Canadian farmers gaining market access for hormone-treated beef. | Leon Neal/Getty Images Canada’s Shadow Trade Minister Ryan Williams said that in addition to supporting fresh talks, the Tories would “build LNG plants, pipelines, mines, factories, and port expansions so that we can get our products to overseas markets” like the U.K. But doing a deal wouldn’t be easy. Last January then-Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative, walked away from negotiations amid quarrels over Canadian farmers gaining market access for hormone-treated beef. The fight led to carmakers and other manufacturers facing extra tariffs at Canada’s border and British cheesemakers losing their preferred access to the Canadian market.

LONDON — In the second coming of The Donald, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may have to play his diplomatic Trump card. Donald Trump’s return to the White House is set to put the U.K.-U.S. “special relationship” to the test. There are looming tariffs, strong differences of opinion on Ukraine and China — and public fights between Starmer and key players in Trump’s administration. And that’s before he’s even taken office. “Trump is so unpredictable that I think the U.K. government will really struggle to manage that relationship and to engage constructively,” Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think tank, warned. But Britain does have at least one ace up its sleeve — a tradition of pomp and ceremony that can help flatter the U.S. president and satisfy his love of spectacle, even if won’t iron out all the kinks in the special relationship. ROYAL TREATMENT  Despite their largely ceremonial status in modern Britain, the royal family is a potent international brand at a time when the country has rapidly cycled through elected leaders. “The continuity they have is way beyond anything any minister has,” a former Foreign Office official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said of the royal family. Robert Hardman, author of a biography of Charles III, said that the royals — meant to publicly stay out of politics — have managed to find “a pretty harmonious, happy relationship” with the U.S. regardless of who’s in the White House. “In soft power terms, other world leaders, other countries are far more interested in the monarchy than they are in Downing Street,” Hardman added.  Indeed, Trump regularly spoke of his affection for the late Queen Elizabeth — a “fantastic woman” with whom he boasted of a “great relationship” after meeting her on visits to the U.K. in his first term. He’s similarly praised her son King Charles as a “really good person” — and talked up his meetings with the royals as “a piece of history at the highest level.” Prince William — the heir to the throne — has already won Trump’s unique style of approval too. The pair met in Paris at the reopening of Notre Dame. The incoming president’s verdict? William is a “good-looking guy” who looked even “better in person.”  Trump clearly relished his encounters with royalty in his first term. And his late mother’s Scottish ancestry — not to mention his string of Scottish golf courses — gives the president an affinity with the U.K. that may be to its advantage. “Trump is a deal maker, but he also is very proud, and he likes big, grand gestures and feeling important,” said Aspinall. “The royal family, to him, is the epitome of ‘I’ve made it,’ and so meeting the royal family is a real opportunity, particularly for him.” Donald Trump’s return to the White House is set to put the U.K.-U.S. “special relationship” to the test. | Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images In his first term, Trump enjoyed tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, a vast royal residence dating back almost 1,000 years.  In 2019, he was given a lavish state visit — despite domestic protests. At Buckingham Palace, Trump inspected the guard of honor — and was given a 41-gun royal salute.  The peak of the pomp was surely the formal state banquet at Buckingham Palace where Trump was treated to a high-class menu including Windsor lamb and strawberry sable. With vast chandeliers, carefully arranged flowers and golden candle stands, it’s easy to see the appeal to a man who burst onto the U.S. political scene riding down a golden escalator. Veteran British diplomat Tom Fletcher said he would advise Starmer to oil “the wheels of diplomacy” with exactly these kind of plush state visits and banquets. Fletcher told the POLITICO Power Play podcast: “If you have a leader who likes those things more, why not turn them up?” STAYING ABOVE POLITICS Yet all the pomp in the world may not be enough to paper over major policy differences between the two governments. If Trump goes ahead with his plan to slap tariffs on all U.S. imports, or makes a decisive break with current Western policy to back Ukraine, even serious royal schmoozing is unlikely to cut it — and British officials will be keen to protect the king from any controversy. “Buckingham Palace will be very conscious of not exposing the king to a situation in which he might be vulnerable, and where something might backfire,” the ex-FCDO official said — noting a clash between Charles’ lifelong environmentalism and Trump’s disdain for renewable energy. “Is the king likely to join Donald Trump on a visit to a wind farm in present circumstances? Probably not.” Still, said Hardman, the royals can help by repeatedly talking up Britain’s deep military, historical and cultural ties with the U.S. “Both sides would be in the business of accentuating the positives,” he said. The former FCDO official cited above said Charles’ instincts on tricky political matters will be to ask Starmer: “How can I help? What can I do?” Prime ministers don’t boss kings around, but, said Harman: “Ultimately, the royals are public servants. If the state wants them to entertain and talk to, meet and get on with whoever’s in the White House, then it’s their duty to do what the elected government wants them to do.”  POMP AND CEREMONY  A fresh Trump visit to the U.K. is unlikely to be free of controversy. Just last week, the opposition Liberal Democrats said the firebrand U.S. president — a “threat to peace and prosperity” — should not be afforded the trappings of another state visit unless he agrees to a sit-down summit with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the second coming of The Donald, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may have to play his diplomatic Trump card. | Leon Neal/Getty Images Even so, the British government will be tempted to pull out all the stops for the U.S. president. “For someone like Trump, where pride is so important and his image is so important, that pomp and ceremony will be really powerful just for his affinity,” said Aspinall. She argued that the royals could even help Britain stand out among republican European nations amid major geopolitical tensions. “If there was a trade war, he might be more sympathetic to the U.K.,” she argued.  “Nobody will be imagining that it’s magic and he [Charles] can do things that other people can’t, but it will enhance the relationship at appropriate times, and he will want to do that quite naturally,” said the ex-FCDO official of the monarch. With a long list of British worries about the incoming president, Starmer will need all the help he can get. Anne McElvoy and Peter Snowdon contributed to this report.