The Brits are SO smart.

I agree - Starmer, the irrelevant Footman. If true and the King has used Starmer and is infact the one doing deals with Trump. We may end up with a monarchy by the back door.

Chagos is such a shame. It will cost us billions

Of course Trump is fine with it, he gets paid.

We pay instead of using funds for other defence

Only the Labour team could be so happy about 'winning' on costing the taxpayer billions for no need.

I think there are some sour grapes here because some on the right in the UK expected the US president to debag the UK PM publicly about Chagos which did not happen and makes them look rather unimportant.

That's not how things work. The monarch hosts state visits on the say-so of the government at the time, it isn't left up to the King's discretion.

That said, it won't necessarily have been Starmer's idea either. There will have been entire teams of people involved in the planning and preparations for this meeting.

Starmer doing something right for a change.

The more he's eating the less he's speaking

Why do you think Stammer was the brains behind this offer?
King Charles is much more likely to have offered a visit to Trump as the New President, this happens after an election and is normal. Letting Stammer had it over was to give him boost, as he really is like the Spitting image John Major grey puppet. No star power and insipid.

We should be paying for our own defence. The reason we are now having to know tow to the Orange toddler is because we have been relying on the US to defend us.

We still need their security. That was the main reason for the visits from leaders.

US workers might be enough but it's more about them than peacekeepers.

I did laugh at Trump 'you Brits don't need us, you'll do great'. And the response to that.

'Yes I thought Starmer was very very clever and all respect to him. He sounded like someone giving a gift to a small child making them aware how important it was. And Trump lapped it up!'

This is not how it came across at all. He looked like a nervous little kid trying to creep around the teacher. Absolutely embarrassing.

That is true overall although I'm tired of this myth that the US is the only one spending "enough" on defence. All the NATO countries outside of Italy and Spain pay more than 2%, Poland spends over 4%, and have done for the last 10 years. The US is the only NATO country to be reducing their spend over 10 years instead of increasing it, and it pays far less percentage-wise than several other countries now. No one on the news is actually fact checking that.

If his mom lets him, he'll take it to kindergarten on Monday for show and tell.

No they don't like labour

Yes I thought Starmer was very very clever and all respect to him. He sounded like someone giving a gift to a small child making them aware how important it was. And Trump lapped it up!
The only way to get anywhere with him is to flatter him and hold your nose while doing it.

No they were busy fighting the war and nearly losing until they got Trump back in. I strongly suspect they didn't expect Biden to get in last time and thought the war would be "negated" by Trump a lot earlier.

We should be paying for our own defence. The reason we are now having to know tow to the Orange toddler is because we have been relying on the US to defend us.

I must say I saw it as arse licking and grovellng

This special relationship idea was invented by Winston Churchill when we got the begging bowl to the US in WW2. So much continuity

And if you think what Starmer did was embarrassing then you are extremely ignorant of just how flexible we got back then, both with the US and the USSR. And how much we paid for it too.

And afterwards…..

”I can’t bear that man. I mean he is so awful, he really is.”

Let’s hope he switches the mic off, this time! (ref: Nicholas Witchell)

Well JD Vance called him Americas Hitler not long ago and now he's VP. He's a vain man with a short memory, prone to flattery.

Did Russia also pay to get Labour elected at the last election? Russia seem to always be interfering.

Funny … I thought it was advantage Trump.

Starmer already been bullied into defense spending. Drawn in on Ukraine
Now Trump gives him a good boy treat that was always happening anyway.

Starmer thinks he’s won, as does OP.

Hell probably sleep with his invite from The King under his bed. He won't forget that!

And let's not forget that the minerals plan was Zelensky's idea from last year.

I feel that the media have deliberately played this as America wanting the minerals and forcing Ukraine into it, but Ukraine proposed this idea last year and there have been negotiations on the terms.

I agree with you 100%
Trump is one hell of a bitter man and does not forgive or forget. He's just playing the game. He loves pomp and ceremony and a little ego boost. None of that detracts from the fact that Starmer handing him that envelope, was reminiscent of a proud daddy handing out a 4yr olds party invite. And the body touching - absolutely cringeworthy.

Businessman???

His list of failures, bankruptcies and defaults is a mile long. His reputation is one of a grifter who, by his son's' admission, had to turn to shady Russian lenders years ago because American and European banks had no confidence in him. He played a fake businessman on a stupid reality television programme that apparently duped millions of people.

Jesus. Wake up.