Donald Trump has spoken to Keir Starmer again after what appears to have been a spur-of-the-moment phone call from the US president that was not expected by the British prime minister and his team.
News of the call, which took place on Thursday evening, emerged in a Downing Street statement about Starmer’s meeting with Mark Burnett, the British TV producer whom Trump has appointed as special envoy to the UK.
Amid details of the pair’s conversation, the No 10 statement said Starmer “took a call from President Trump and discussed his forthcoming visit to the US”.
It gave no further details, but a No 10 source described the call as “impromptu” and unexpected. It is understood that Trump knew the meeting was taking place, and had an assistant place a call to a mobile phone in the room.
The US embassy in the UK tweeted a photo of the moment, showing Starmer at the dinner table with Burnett and others, using a mobile phone. The embassy said: “During the dinner @POTUS called his Envoy, who passed the phone to the PM”.
Speaking to reporters from the White House on Friday, Trump said: “He asked for a meeting and I agreed to the meeting, we’re going to have a friendly meeting, very good.
“We have a lot of good things going on. But he asked to come and see me and I just accepted his asking.”
Responding to further questions about a date, he added: “Very soon, I think he wants to come next week or the week after.”
The call, which once again emphasised the often freewheeling approach to diplomacy embraced by Trump and his White House, is believed to have been brief and only took in Starmer’s hope to visit the US soon for a formal meeting with Trump.
No 10 will nonetheless welcome it, as it hopes Starmer’s tentative if so far warm relationship with Trump, who has praised the prime minister, could lead to the UK escaping further tariffs or other penalties from an often capricious US administration. The pair spoke more formally by phone last month.
Trump appointed Burnett to his slightly vague role in December. The TV producer has been responsible for a series of hit US shows, notably The Apprentice, which gave Trump renewed prominence and arguably paved the way for his political career. Burnett also created or produced shows such as Survivor, Shark Tank and The Voice.
“Mr Burnett and the prime minister agreed on the unique and special nature of the UK-US relationship, the strength of our alliance and the warmth of the connection between the two countries,” the No 10 statement said.
“Mr Burnett reflected on his personal connections to the UK, and his mother’s experience working part-time in Downing Street as a waitress over 30 years ago.
“They emphasised the huge potential for even stronger collaboration on trade, tech and cultural matters between the US and the UK and looked forward to working together.”
