Lobby hacks have been quick to declare the Oval Office meeting between Trump and Starmer a resounding success, though full viewing of the meeting shows it wasn’t quite so straightforward. JD Vance openly slammed Britain’s “infringements on free speech in Britain” that affect American tech companies and, by extension, American citizens. Starmer responded by saying he was “very proud” of the UK’s history of free speech. Trump also made a joke about whether Britain could defend itself against Russia “on its own”…
Meanwhile, despite journos jumping to conclusions that Trump backed Starmer’s surrender deal, Trump’s full comments were more cautious. He said he was “inclined to go along” with it but said that it was “a little bit early” and that he needed to see the full details first. He also raised the idea of a 140-year lease—longer than the currently reported 99-year one. Not over yet…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”