By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
Published: 04:25 EDT, 16 September 2025 | Updated: 08:00 EDT, 16 September 2025
Donald Trump could go easy on Sir Keir Starmer during his state visit to Britain with the Prime Minister 'on the ropes' after a series of domestic hits to his leadership, allies of the president have claimed.
Labour had feared that the president could use the visit, which starts tonight, to lambast the PM over freedom of speech in the UK, amid claims from conservatives that the Online Safety Bill impinges on the rights of Americans.
But sources today told The Telegraph that the president could go easy on Sir Keir due to the significant domestic pressure he is under.
One said: 'This trip will be about the splendour of Windsor Castle, inspecting the troops, the big banquet. This is a big deal for him. And the plan is to keep it about that.'
The American leader is being feted with a stay in Windsor Castle where he will be hosted by the King and treated to a ceremonial welcome on Wednesday and a lavish state banquet.
Security will be paramount, with Mr Trump confined to the private Windsor estate on the first full day, before heading to the Prime Minister's country residence Chequers on Thursday.
They arrive in the midst of a furious row over freedom of speech fuelled by the president and his allies which could cause a flashpoint adding to the pressure on Prime Minister
Just hours ahead of the president's arrival, Sir Sadiq Khan has reignited his feud with the Republican, claiming record numbers of Americans are moving to London to escape him.
Labour had feared that the president could use the visit, which starts tonight, to lambast the PM over freedom of speech in the UK, amid claims from conservatives that the Online Safety Bill impinges on the rights of Americans
The American leader is being feted with a stay in Windsor Castle where he will be hosted by the King and treated to a ceremonial welcome on Wednesday and a lavish state banquet
Security will be paramount, with Mr Trump confined to the private Windsor estate on the first full day, before heading to the Prime Minister's country residence Chequers on Thursday
The city mayor, who has clashed repeatedly with the president during his nine years in office, said a record number of people were crossing the Atlantic to make lives in the UK since the start of his second term.
Sir Sadiq hit out just hours before Trump and first lady Melania are due to touch down for his second State Visit to the UK.
In a pointed statement Sir Sadiq said: 'Prominent figures in the US and UK deliberately talk down our country, and in particular our capital city.
'Yet the latest evidence is clear – a record number of US citizens are now applying for citizenship here in the UK.
'For many Americans I speak with, it's because of our values that record numbers are applying to be citizens.
'This includes our fundamental values like adhering to the rule of law, being proud of our diversity and championing the rights of minority communities.
'As well as being the UK's financial, legal and governmental centre, in London we offer an ecosystem that is unparalleled around the world, from our brilliant universities to our culture and our creative industries.
'But it's also our liberal values that make us stand out - celebrating our diversity in London as a strength, not as a threat to society.'
City Hall cited Home Office figures showing a rise in applications for UK citizenship from Americans since the last quarter of last year, which coincides with Trump's election win over Kamala Harris.
In the second quarter of this year the figure was up almost 50 per cent on the same period in 2024.
The trip is Mr Trump's second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture for a US president – with his last one six years ago in 2019 seeing thousands of people turn out on the streets in London in opposition and a 20 foot Trump baby blimp take to the skies.
Demonstrators from the Stop Trump Coalition will take to Windsor high street tonight, followed by a march through central London the next day ending with a mass rally in Parliament Square.
Separately, Green MP Ellie Chowns has filed an Early Day Motion in the Commons saying 'the shadow of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein hangs over the visit'.
The city mayor, who has clashed repeatedly with the president during his nine years in office, said a record number of people were crossing the Atlantic to make lives in the UK since the start of his second term
The trip is Mr Trump's second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture for a US president – with his last one six years ago in 2019 seeing thousands of people turn out on the streets in London in opposition and a 20 foot Trump baby blimp take to the skies
The Prince and Princess of Wales will meanwhile play a key role in entertaining the president, who is known for his love of the royal family, and First Lady Melania Trump.
William and Kate will meet the American couple, who make an administrative arrival in the UK on Tuesday evening, in the grounds of the Windsor estate on Wednesday and escort them a short distance to see the King and Queen for an open air greeting nearby.
The proceedings are aimed at extending a personal, family-centred welcome to the Trumps ahead of the official ceremony in the castle quadrangle after a carriage ride through private Home Park.
The princess will also, in a rare move, carry out a joint engagement with Mrs Trump on Thursday in Frogmore Gardens where they will meet Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts' Squirrels programme as they learn about nature to achieve their Go Wild badge.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Kate, who announced at the start of the year that she was in remission from cancer, will attend the state banquet on Wednesday evening.
But it is likely she will be present at the opulent dinner during the diplomatically high-stakes visit, having done so for French President Emmanuel Macron in July.
The state visit is a major opportunity for Sir Keir Starmer's Government to influence Mr Trump's thinking on several domestic and international issues.
Chief among the UK's concerns is eliminating the tariffs on British steel imports to the US, which remain in place despite many of the main points of a UK-US trade deal being hammered out.
Over the weekend, Liam Byrne, the Labour chairman of the Commons Business and Trade Committee, said the state visit is 'no mere pageant' and warned the Government that 'we can't escape the truth that Britain now trades with its biggest partner on terms that are worse than the past'.
Peter Kyle, the newly appointed Business Secretary, has said that tariff relief for UK steel is being negotiated and that he will 'make sure that we have an announcement as soon as possible', but figures within Government have been hesitant to suggest such a deal could come during the state visit.
Ministers have elsewhere been keen to stress the importance of a new nuclear partnership with America, aimed at speeding up the development of power plants.
Some £1.25billion of investment from US financial firms was also announced ahead of the visit.
'The state visit not only reflects centuries of bond between our two countries but cements the next 250 years as the closest of allies, creating a safer, richer future for people both sides of the Atlantic,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters.
Sir Keir may also use the state visit to convince Mr Trump that the US should heap further sanctions on Russia, as European powers scramble to help Ukraine.
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