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 who Trump has appointed as special envoy to the UK.
The call, which once again emphasised the often unexpected and 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.
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 will nonetheless be welcomed by No 10, which hopes that Starmer’s tentative if so far warm relationship with Trump, who has praised the prime minister, could lead to the UK potentially escaping further tariffs or other penalties from an often capricious US administration.
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.
