With Downing Street eager to make the best of what could prove to be a difficult few days, Starmer announced what was said to be the largest ever investment package in the UK.<\/p>\n
Of the \u00a3150bn, \u00a390bn was a commitment from the private equity firm Blackstone to invest in the UK over the next decade. That was on top of \u00a310bn the company committed to an artificial intelligence datacentre earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Other announcements include \u00a33.9bn from the investment firm Prologis and \u00a31.5bn from the tech company Palantir. The government said the package would create 7,600 high-quality jobs in sectors including clean energy and life sciences.<\/p>\n
Starmer said that \u201cwith friends like the US\u201d the UK could \u201chelp shape the future for generations to come and make people across the country better off\u201d, adding: \u201cThese investments are a testament to Britain\u2019s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious and ready to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Downing Street sources said the \u00a3150bn of inward investment was higher than the figure for the whole of last year and that the prime minister was feeling \u201cvery upbeat\u201d because it exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n
The announcement followed a separate pledge of billions of pounds of investment from US tech firms, including from Microsoft, which has announced a $30bn (\u00a322bn) spending package<\/a> \u2013 its largest ever outside the US.<\/p>\n But the careful choreography was dealt a blow on Wednesday when Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister who held one of the most senior roles at Meta until earlier this year, described the US-UK tech deal as \u201csloppy seconds from Silicon Valley\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge, Clegg said of the US tech companies: \u201cThese companies need those infrastructure resources anyway. They\u2019re building datacentres all over the world.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they were pushed a bit forward just to meet the timetable with this week\u2019s state visit. But \u2026 it\u2019s all one-way traffic.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have to be a little bit more realistic about our predicament and a little bit firmer about what we can do ourselves, rather than what I think we\u2019re seeing with this US-UK tech deal, which is basically just sloppy seconds from Silicon Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics have argued that the tech deal, due to be finalised at the prime minister\u2019s Chequers retreat with Trump on Thursday, does little to support the UK\u2019s homegrown tech industry and have questioned what concessions the government might give US tech companies on regulation and tax.<\/p>\n Queen Camilla, King Charles, Donald Trump and Melania Trump pose at the state banquet. Photograph: Phil Noble\/Reuters<\/p>\n After landing by helicopter in Windsor Castle\u2019s grounds on Wednesday morning, Trump joined the king in a horse-drawn carriage but the procession remained within the royal estate and out of the reach of the public, with security concerns given as an explanation.<\/p>\n The president and his wife, Melania, were later hosted by Charles at a lavish state banquet inside Windsor Castle on Wednesday alongside several top business executives including Apple\u2019s Tim Cook, Nvidia\u2019s Jensen Huang and OpenAI\u2019s Sam Altman.<\/p>\n They were served Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, followed by Norfolk chicken ballotine and a vanilla ice-cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached victoria plums.<\/p>\n A whisky sour cocktail garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit \u201cevoking the warmth of a fireside S\u2019more\u201d was served, although Trump does not drink alcohol.<\/p>\n During his speech the king emphasised the importance of protecting the environment, saying the legacy of both nations over the \u201cnext 250 years and beyond\u201d was to ensure future generations can experience \u201cnatural treasures\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump, meanwhile, used his speech to pay a heartfelt tribute to the US\u2019s relationship with the UK, saying the \u201cword \u2018special\u2019 does not begin to do it justice\u201d.<\/p>\n The US leader also heaped praise on the king, describing his as a \u201cvery, very special man\u201d. He went on to say: \u201cWe\u2019re joined by history and faith, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny. We\u2019re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem, each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Among those in attendance was Rupert Murdoch, who sat next to Starmer\u2019s under-fire chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.<\/p>\n The visit, which has been marked by protests involving an estimated 5,000 people in London and a much smaller number in Windsor, comes after two bruising weeks for Starmer that saw him lose both his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, and his US ambassador, raising questions about his political judgment and ability to lead his party into the next election.<\/p>\n At the Stop Trump Coalition protest in London, the musician Billy Bragg performed songs aimed at the US president featuring the lyrics \u201cyou fascists are bound to lose\u201d. The president came to Britain because he \u201cwants to feel like a king\u201d, Bragg claimed.<\/p>\n The comedian Nish Kumar launched a blow-up ball with the vice-president JD Vance\u2019s face on it into the crowd. \u201cDonald Trump is a lightning rod [for] white supremacist groups and racists around the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Every effort was put on to impress Trump in Windsor but a flypast of F-35 jets above Windsor Castle had to be cancelled due to poor weather and at times the president appeared bored.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer has come under fire for inviting Trump on a second state visit. Photograph: Jill Mead\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Trump laid a wreath at the late Queen Elizabeth\u2019s tomb inside St George\u2019s Chapel and he was given a tour with his wife that included Henry VIII\u2019s burial vault and a memorial plate in honour of Sir Winston Churchill. \u201cThis was a great honour,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n Trump and his wife also joined the king and queen to inspect artefacts pertaining to British-American relations.<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Trump said as he looked at documents about US independence. \u201cThat\u2019s fascinating,\u201d said Charles as he pointed out another table, detailing the transatlantic cable used for communication between the two countries. Trump agreed: \u201cThat\u2019s so amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the royal family joined the US president for lunch in the state dining room along with the new interim ambassador to the US, James Roscoe, and Trump\u2019s entourage.<\/p>\n The president and the king chatted amiably throughout the day but Trump appeared to breach an unofficial protocol by twice touching the monarch\u2019s back.<\/p>\n![\"Thousands](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758153675_922_6000.jpg\")
Thousands of demonstrators protest against Trump state visit \u2013 video<\/p>\n