Keir Starmer charmed Donald Trump in the White House – this is how he did it

What a difference a day makes.

As Keir Starmer flew home from Washington DC late on Thursday night he did so buoyed by the fact that a crunch White House meeting with had gone far better than feared.

The relief was palpable as the grinning Prime Minister said “I’m happy”, offering reporters a thumbs-up before returning to the front of the plane for some rest.

It was in stark contrast to 24 hours earlier when Sir Keir and his team appeared guarded and tense on the outbound journey to meet the US President.

Clad in a dark suit and shirt, the PM batted away a barrage of questions about the upcoming talks – conscious that a stray comment could enrage the notoriously thin skinned Mr Trump.

At a glitzy party at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington later that Wednesday night, one official confided that ministers didn’t know how the high stakes meeting with the 47th President would go.

They admitted that “wargaming every scenario” had been going on behind the scenes and planning had been going on for months.

“You never know what you’re going to get with Trump,” the source said.

“He can blow the whole thing up with just one comment and it’s always something that you least expect.” As ’s found out yesterday.

The planning and strategy clearly paid off for the Prime Minister as he jetted back across the Atlantic to the UK.

Stuffed in his back pocket was the prospect of economy-boosting trade ties with America and a clear signal from the US President that he’s unlikely to target Britain with hefty tariffs.

There was progress on securing a “long-lasting” peace deal for by trying to persuade Mr Trump the US must support British and European troops in the war-­ravaged country – albeit this may now have stalled after the bust-up with Mr Zelensky.

That’s not to mention clear progress on securing a “long lasting” peace deal for after trying to persuade Mr Trump that the US must support British and European troops in the war-ravaged country.

In a trip that had so much potential to go wrong for Sir Keir, so much went right.

He had a big win on tariffs, a big win on a trade deal and a big win on his Chagos Islands surrender to Mauritius after Mr Trump gave it the green light despite months of claims by that he would oppose it.

Not to mention the US President accepting an invitation from King Charles for an “unprecedented” second state visit to the UK.

And then there was the love-in between two politicians who come from two completely different political backgrounds, one a socialist human rights lawyer, the other a brash New York real estate developer.

There were smiles, handshakes, shoulder pats and jokes as the leaders first met outside the West Wing before amping up their new-found bromance in the Oval Office and then the grandiose White House East Room.

Sir Keir has come a long way from the time when he described Mr Trump as a dangerous “buffoon”.

And then there was the Labour “interferance” in the run-up to November’s .

The Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission into alleged “blatant foreign interference” after it emerged up to 100 Labour Party staff campaigned in the US for Democrat candidate .

Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s chief of staff, and Matthew Doyle, Downing Street director of communications, were both named in the complaint.

Both men were sat feet away from the US President in the Oval Office, the hatchet seemingly buried – for now.

But the trip to Washington wasn’t a unanimous success.

Sir Keir’s top priority for the talks was securing agreement that the US would provide a security “backstop” for thousands of British and European troops who could be sent to to keep the peace, if a truce with can be negotiated.

Failure to do so, he said, would allow to “come again” and plunge Europe into war.

Despite making some headway with the Republican, there is still much more work to do on this – perhaps even more after yesterday’s bombshell events.

That will be the main talking point when the PM chairs a summit on and European defence on Sunday involving Mr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and other leading figures.

The US president was ambiguous on the issue, telling the Prime Minister he believed Putin was not going to be a threat to if a deal was struck – not least over access to Ukrainian minerals.

Both visits will be remembered for their drama.

While Mr Zelensky’s trip was a diplomatic disaster never witnessed before in front of the cameras, for Sir Keir was the extraordinary love-in that will be remembered for a long time to come

During an extraordinary 30-minutes in the Oval Office, the two men lavished each other with praise, with the US President describing the PM as a “wonderful man”.

It was a huge moment for Sir Keir, who said to me on the plane en-route to Washington that Britain is the “bridge” between the US and Europe.

One toe-curling moment came when Mr Trump lavished praise on Sir Keir’s “beautiful” wife, Lady Victoria, before the PM chirped in and said “I second that”.

There were some touchy-feely moments too, although not in the ingratiating manner of French President Emmanuel Macron who visited Mr Trump earlier in the week.

Watching on from one of the Oval Office sofas were Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Starmer’s Security adviser Jonathan Powell, McSweeney and Washington Ambassador Peter Mandelson.

On the opposite side were US Vice President JD Vance, who the PM had to put straight over the issue of free speech in the UK, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Sir Keir also had a trump card up his sleeve, or in his jacket pocket to be more precise, and that is the President’s love of the Royal Family.

Barely 60 seconds into their Oval Office showdown, the Prime Minister produced a letter from the King offering him a second state visit to the UK.

Mr Trump was clearly pleased as he opened the letter.

It would be, the PM assured him, an “unprecedented, incredible and historic” occasion.

Over a White House lunch of grilled sea bream, Sir Keir pressed Mr Trump repeatedly to secure his legacy on by ensuring the country’s long term security.

Failure to do so, he warned, would embolden other hostile states such as China and Iran.

He had more luck on trade where he came close to securing an exemption from swingeing trade tariffs.

“He was working hard I’ll tell you that,” the President said admiringly at a press conference later.

“He earnt whatever the hell they pay him over there.”

The President also predicted a “great trade deal” with Britain and praised , the other ace in Sir Keir’s hand.

“We could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary,” he said.

The President added that the agreement will “happen very quickly” as he goes on the attack over what he claims are unfair trade arrangements.

Sir Keir, a fierce critic of Mr Trump in the past, has been at pains not to criticise him since his stunning comeback victory in November’s election.

Instead of doing the traditional round of interviews with British and US broadcasters on his whirlwind visit to the US capital he spent the morning hunkered down at the Ambassador’s residence prepping for the Trump showdown.

Mr Lammy, who is a similar height and build to the President, reportedly stood in for the man he once branded a “tyrant in a toupee” as the PM practised how to deal with Mr Trump’s notorious alpha male handshake.

After watching other leaders, including Theresa May, struggle to stand up to the Republican, Labour drew up a strategy to just flatter him at every opportunity.

This also included trying to woo the golf-loving President by giving him a cap in his family MacLeod tartan.

The Prime Minister’s gift gave a nod to Mr Trump’s Scottish heritage, as his mother Mary Anne MacLeod was born on the island of Lewis in the outer Hebrides.

Mr Starmer also gave the US President some Downing Street golf balls and a set of crystal glasses.

First Lady received a Liberty scarf, a book about Chequers, the PM’s lavish country retreat, and a No10 candle from the PM.

In return, the President gave Mr Starmer a US soccer shirt with number 10 and his surname emblazoned on the back – in a mark of the PM’s love of football.

Despite Sir Keir’s relief over the trip, there is a strong realisation that it is far from mission accomplished.

Mr Trump can quickly change his mind, whether it’s on tariffs, trade or, now especially, .

When European leaders gather in London on Sunday, the mood is likely to be sombre. Diplomatic sources admit that ministers still have no idea how he plans to persuade Putin to end the war or how committed he is to ’s long term security.

There are signals from those close to Mr Trump who believe made a major error in January 2022 when Putin’s intentions became evident, in failing to make clear to him that the US would deliver a “very bloody nose” if he pressed ahead with a full scale invasion.

One insider said: “The President’s view is that he is not going to make that same mistake.”

Overall, the PM’s trip to the White House was a diplomatic and political success for him and a boost for Britain.

Which brings us to another well-worn cliche, “a week is a long time in politics”.

Well, so is a day, it seems. Returning from Washington, one insider said: “We are in a better place today than where we were at the beginning of the week.”

One day on, the world looks a bit more uncertain once again.