LONDON, Sept 15 – The United States and the United Kingdom are preparing to unveil key agreements on technology and civil nuclear energy during President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit this week. The UK is also pushing to secure progress on steel tariffs as part of its much-anticipated trade negotiations with Washington.
President Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, will be honored with full royal pageantry on Wednesday. Their visit will feature a grand carriage procession, a state banquet, a military aircraft flypast, and a ceremonial gun salute, underscoring the significance of the occasion.
The UK government is banking on the soft power of the royal family to strike a chord with President Trump as it works to deepen defence, security, and energy cooperation with Washington. This effort comes on the heels of securing a favourable tariff agreement, which London views as a stepping stone toward stronger bilateral ties.
STARMER AIMS TO SECURE LOWER TARIFFS
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome President Trump to his Chequers country estate on Thursday for high-level talks focused on closer cooperation, particularly regarding Ukraine, while also seeking to finalize long-promised reductions in tariffs on steel and aluminium.
According to a spokesperson for Starmer, the leaders are expected to sign “a world-leading technology partnership.” In addition, the two nations will unveil multi-billion-dollar agreements to advance small-scale nuclear projects, some of which could play a vital role in powering next-generation AI data centres.
“The UK-U.S. relationship is the strongest in the world,” Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters. “This week marks a transformative moment in that partnership.”
Despite their contrasting political styles—Starmer, a pragmatic technocrat and self-described socialist, and Trump, a fiercely unpredictable leader who has driven the Republican Party further to the right—the two have managed to forge a productive working relationship.
Starmer became the first world leader to secure an economic agreement with Trump aimed at lowering global tariffs. As part of that deal, Washington pledged to cut duties on imports of cars, aluminium, and steel. While terms on car tariffs were finalized in June, talks on steel and aluminium remain ongoing.
“We will ensure an announcement on steel is made as soon as possible,” Business Minister Peter Kyle told the BBC on Sunday.
INVESTMENTS SURGE, MANDELSON CONTROVERSY
Ahead of Trump’s visit, Britain announced on Saturday more than £1.25 billion ($1.69 billion) in fresh U.S. investments from companies including PayPal and Bank of America. Sources also revealed that Nvidia and OpenAI are expected to unveil new commitments under the forthcoming technology partnership. In addition, U.S. cloud computing firm CoreWeave confirmed it will announce major investments in the UK this week.
A delegation of senior British officials is scheduled to travel to the United States on Monday to finalize details of the visit, according to Starmer’s spokesperson.
However, preparations have been overshadowed by the recent dismissal of Peter Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, due to his links with the late convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision has been politically damaging for Starmer, who appointed Mandelson to the coveted diplomatic role less than a year ago.
This week’s trip marks Trump’s second visit to the UK in just two months, following his late-July stay in Scotland to spend time at his golf resorts.
According to Starmer’s spokesperson, the visit will also feature announcements aimed at strengthening cultural ties, including initiatives to promote basketball in Britain and new collaborations between heritage and art institutions.
