Trump UK visit live: President departs Britain after telling Starmer to call in military against migrants
Donald Trump’s state visit has drawn to a close after he told Sir Keir Starmer to call in the military to tackle illegal immigration during a joint press conference in Chequers.
The US president punched the air, smiled and waved as he boarded Air Force One alongside the first lady on Thursday afternoon.
The couple departed from London’s Stansted Airport shortly after he and the UK prime minister spoke to the world’s media as they hailed the two countries’ “special relationship”.
Sir Keir said a tech deal with the US would “change lives” and mark a “new era”, following crunch bilateral talks over trade, Gaza, and Ukraine earlier in the day.
However, Mr Trump told the UK prime minister to take a tougher line on tackling illegal migration, saying: “You have people coming in, and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use.”
The turn to policy came after the pomp and glamour of Wednesday’s ceremonies at Windsor Castle, where the Trumps were charmed by the royal family’s soft diplomacy.
