Can opposites Trump and Starmer find common ground?

Mr Rules and Mr Break The Rules.

The Lawyer and the antheral with the transgression conviction.

The quality rights barrister and the brash New York existent property tycoon.

To enactment it gently, Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump are alternatively antithetic characters – and that is earlier we adjacent get connected to talking astir policies.

The premier minister's ain colleagues person called him "Mr Rules" arsenic a mode of summing up the essence of his character, what makes him tick.

There is adjacent a sanction for this that academics person utilized – "the juridifcation of politics" – meaning "a reliance upon ineligible and quasilegal, i.e. rules, norms, conventions, procedures, means to code substantive matters of nationalist policy."

The happening is, to authorities the obvious, the antheral present successful the Oval Office is the polar other connected beauteous overmuch each azygous connection of that.

But perhaps, immoderate ponder, each this shouldn't beryllium overstated.

"Most overseas leaders annoy Trump to immoderate extent," 1 adjacent perceiver told me.

The key, galore believe, volition beryllium dealing with the caller president successful a mode that helium likes and, truthful the mentation goes, whitethorn work.

So retired with long-winded presentations of overseas argumentation minutiae and successful with ideas that either lend to his 'America First' agenda, portion securing wins for the UK too, oregon assistance the President cement his spot successful past possibly successful the Middle East oregon Ukraine.

We tin expect the premier curate to alert to Washington beauteous soon to conscionable President Trump astatine the White House.

It volition mean Sir Keir and Foreign Secretary David Lammy volition beryllium capable to halt perpetually referring backmost to the chickenhearted meal they had astatine Trump Tower successful New York successful September of past twelvemonth erstwhile they met Trump for the archetypal time.

Precisely erstwhile Sir Keir finds himself connected a level implicit the Atlantic, and which leaders are invited earlier him, volition beryllium pored implicit – and determination are intelligibly some, specified arsenic Georgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, who are ideologically overmuch person to the president than Sir Keir volition ever be.

The timing astir apt matters less, beyond the symbolism, than what comes retired of the meeting.

So what could find itself connected the agenda?

Ukraine, trade, defence spending, the Middle East, clime change, the Chagos Islands, to sanction fractional a dozen.

The Chagos Islands is simply a imaginable aboriginal flashpoint, oregon astatine slightest infinitesimal of awkwardness.

The UK's program to manus implicit the archipelago successful the Indian Ocean – which is location to a associated US/UK subject basal – to Mauritius has been put connected hold for President Trump to instrumentality a look at.

On Ukraine, the UK's posture is wide and was pointedly doubled down connected by the premier curate conscionable days earlier President Trump's inauguration.

Sir Keir was successful Kyiv to motion a 100-year pact with the state astatine conscionable the constituent a caller president takes bureau who has promised to extremity the warfare precise quickly, which galore deliberation would permission Russia looking similar the victor.

Could President Trump and incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio merchantability a woody wide seen arsenic atrocious for Ukraine? And, would Russian President Vladimir Putin beryllium funny successful the struggle ending now, oregon anticipation to transportation connected to unafraid much territory?

And connected trade, however does the UK debar the imaginable of crippling tariffs, import taxes, being imposed by America, arsenic President Trump has threatened to bash connected friends and foes alike?

Government sources present successful the UK speech up what they spot arsenic "the alignment of priorities" betwixt London and Washington connected getting our economies growing.

The United States is the UK's largest trading partner, accounting for astir 18% of full UK trade.

The happening is tariffs could scupper immoderate maturation and Downing Street volition person to anticipation that it tin speech the president retired of them.

And if President Trump demands immense increases successful defence spending, tin the UK spend it?

Perhaps an statement tin beryllium made that tariffs would marque paying for defence harder.

Then determination are the thoughts and societal media posts of the president's person Elon Musk, which person been highly hostile towards the premier curate for months, lone easing mildly past week erstwhile the authorities acceptable retired its effect to kid intersexual exploitation.

In Sir Keir's backmost pocket, remember, is the imaginable of different authorities sojourn for President Trump and the First Lady.

President Trump's mum was calved and grew up connected the Isle of Lewis - his affection for the UK is genuine, arsenic is his emotion of the Royal Family.

Don't beryllium amazed if that invitation gets delivered to the White House sooner oregon later. The question volition beryllium erstwhile does that paper get played?

It has go a predictable to accidental that President Trump is unpredictable, due to the fact that it is not lone true, but an understatement.

The satellite is going to consciousness alternatively antithetic – and that quality starts now.