**Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Meet for First Time at Trump Tower**

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the recently elected leader of the Labour Party, met face-to-face for the first time on Thursday night at Trump Tower in New York. The two held a private dinner after Starmer delivered a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, marking a pivotal moment in UK-U.S. relations.

The meeting, which lasted two hours, focused on reinforcing the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. According to a U.K. government statement, the two leaders discussed the “longstanding friendship” between the countries and emphasized the need to strengthen the partnership moving forward.

Notably absent from Starmer’s U.S. itinerary was a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s expected opponent in the upcoming presidential election. After dinner with Trump, Starmer left directly for the airport to return to the U.K.

Starmer himself has heavily criticized the former president in the past ( 

Getty Images)

Despite the formal tone of the meeting, tensions have historically existed between Starmer’s Labour Party and Trump. In the past, members of Starmer’s cabinet, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Border Security Minister Angela Eagle, have been outspoken critics of Trump. Lammy had previously called Trump a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath,” and Eagle blamed Republican rhetoric for fueling immigration riots in the U.K.

Starmer himself has been critical of Trump, particularly during Trump’s endorsement of Boris Johnson for Conservative Party leader in 2019. At the time, Starmer tweeted that Trump’s endorsement highlighted “everything wrong with Boris Johnson’s politics.”

However, the two leaders appeared to set aside past grievances. In a pre-dinner press conference, Trump spoke positively about Starmer, calling him “very nice” and praising his recent victory in the July Labour leadership race. “He ran a great race and did very well,” Trump commented.

Starmer himself has heavily criticized the former president in the past. ( Image: Getty Images)

Nevertheless, some friction persisted. Before their dinner, Starmer addressed the U.N. General Assembly and made remarks that some interpreted as a subtle criticism of Trump’s administration. “People talk about an age of polarization, impunity, instability, and an unraveling of the U.N. charter. And I feel a sense of fatalism has taken hold,” Starmer said. “But our task is to say no. This is the moment to reassert fundamental principles and our willingness to defend them.”

The meeting marks a notable moment in the evolving relationship between the U.S. and U.K. leadership, as both countries prepare for crucial elections in 2024.