logo
Not very green, Keir: PM joins Trump for 250-mile flight across Scotland in Air Force One for Aberdeen dinner date after meeting to discuss trade, Gaza

Not very green, Keir: PM joins Trump for 250-mile flight across Scotland in Air Force One for Aberdeen dinner date after meeting to discuss trade, Gaza

Daily Mail​6 days ago
Keir Starmer risked the wrath of green groups and his own backbenchers tonight as he joined Donald Trump for a 250mile flight in Air Force One just so they could have dinner together.
The Prime Minister waved as he boarded the US presidential Boeing 747 at Prestwick tonight after talks and a chaotic press conference at Trump's Turnberry golf resort.
The president advised his 'not too liberal' friend to cut taxes and immigration if he wanted to beat Nigel Farage at the next election.
And he gently pressed the PM on giving the go-ahead for new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, while slamming funding for wind power.
The PM stood up for green energy hours before boarding the ageing American behemoth, which is built for long-haul journeys rather than a short hop across Scotland.
'We believe in a mix, and obviously oil and gas will be with us for a very long time, and that'll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear (power),' he said.
The flight will land at RAF Lossiemouth, due to Aberdeen Airport having too short a runway for the 747, which burns up to 11 tons of fuel per hour.
It was the PM's second flight of the day, having arrived in Scotland from Switzerland, where he watched the Lionesses retain their Women's Euros title last night.
The Prime Minister waved as he boarded the US presidential Boeing 747 at Prestwick tonight after talks and a chaotic press conference at Trump's Turnberry golf resort.
The PM stood up for green energy hours before boarding the ageing American behemoth, which is built for long-haul journeys rather than a short hop across Scotland.
Without any awkwardness about playing one mate off against the other the president used the hour-long televised bromantic encounter to tell the PM to cut taxes and stop 'murderers and drug dealers' from coming to Britain.
While Sir Keir sat beside him with an impassive look on his face he also attacked subsidies for wind power and - gently - suggested he should back fresh drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea instead.
He was full of praise for the Prime Minister and the way he was running the country, despite their ideological differences, saying Sir Keir was was 'liberal ..but not too liberal' in his approach.
Mr Trump added: 'I think the one that's toughest and most competent on immigration is going to win the election, but then you add… low taxes, and you add the economy.
'(Sir Keir) did a great thing with the economy, because a lot of money is going to come in because of the deal that was made. But I think that, I think that immigration is now bigger than ever before.'
The president had earlier told Sir Keir Britain and the rest of Europe it must stop illegal immigration to avoid 'ruin' as the two leaders met in Scotland today.
Mr Farage is not meeting Mr Trump during the visit.
The American leader attacked Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan as a 'nasty person' and hailed both Sir Keir and Nigel Farage as 'great men' as the leaders took a series of questions across domestic and foreign affairs.
The president also indicated that the US may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals, telling reporters that 'we certainly feel a lot better' about the UK working on drugs that will be sold in the States compared to other nations.
The president had earlier said that he thinks Sir Keir, who has been in office for more than a year, will be 'a tax cutter.'
The president had earlier spoken out as he met Sir Keir and Lady Victoria on the clubhouse steps at his Ayrshire golf course.
During the president's 'working holiday' in the country of his mother's birth he spoke to reporters as bagpipes played in the background.
He spoke out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza - which the leaders will discuss further - and had criticism for Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.
But he also addressed the wider issue of immigration facing Europe he added that it was becoming a 'different place' - and praised Sir Keir for taking a strong stance against it.
'This is a magnificent part of the world, and you cannot ruin it, you cannot let people come here illegally,' the president said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Storm Floris to cause travel disruption as wind warnings upgraded
Storm Floris to cause travel disruption as wind warnings upgraded

The Independent

time3 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Storm Floris to cause travel disruption as wind warnings upgraded

Storm Floris could cause severe travel disruption on Monday as weather warnings for wind have been upgraded. Amber warnings have been issued for much of Scotland, lasting from 10am to 10pm. A yellow warning for wind had already been issued for northern parts of the UK from 6am on Monday to 6am on Tuesday. Stormy weather can severely impact the railway, with journey delays and cancellations, National Rail warned. 'It is likely that speed restrictions will be in place and your journey may take longer,' it said. Strong winds can bring down trees that block tracks and damage power lines. The weather could also disrupt road, air and ferry services, and close bridges, it is feared. Many inland parts of the warning area will see westerly gusts of 40-50mph and exposed coasts and high ground could see them reach 70mph, the Met Office said. There is a chance that winds could even reach 85mph on Scottish coastlines and hills. Scottish ferry operator CalMac has issued a series of cancellation warnings ahead of the storm. 'Disruption to sailings is expected across our network on Monday August 4 due to forecasted strong winds across parts of Scotland's west coast,' it posted on X. Elsewhere, motorists have been urged to slow down in poor weather and avoid exposed Highland and coastal routes. Rod Dennis, of the RAC breakdown service, said: 'This unseasonable bout of stormy weather will mean drivers in the north and west of the UK need to take extra care at the start of next week. 'It's the height of the holiday season, so those towing trailers and caravans, as well as those with roof and tent boxes, must ensure their loads are properly secured.' Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: 'Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60-70mph more likely at higher elevations and around exposed coasts in Scotland. 'There is a small chance that some locations here could even record gusts of 85mph.' The strongest winds will most likely affect Scotland on Monday afternoon and night but 'there remains some uncertainty in the depth and track of Floris', a spokesperson added. 'Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east. 'Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places.' The warning zone covers Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales and the north of England. Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August, and January's Storm Eowyn was the most recent.

Five tricks to stop your pension falling short: Experts warn HALF of workers over 60 don't have enough money for retirement – but here's how YOU can catch up fast
Five tricks to stop your pension falling short: Experts warn HALF of workers over 60 don't have enough money for retirement – but here's how YOU can catch up fast

Daily Mail​

time3 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Five tricks to stop your pension falling short: Experts warn HALF of workers over 60 don't have enough money for retirement – but here's how YOU can catch up fast

Baby boomers face a financial crunch, with figures revealing almost half of workers over 60 won't have enough money to fund the lifestyle they want in retirement. As many as 49 per cent of the still-employed generation aged 60 to 80 are not expected to reach their retirement goals, according to research for The Mail on Sunday.

Iceland under pressure as supermarket price war intensifies
Iceland under pressure as supermarket price war intensifies

Telegraph

time4 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Iceland under pressure as supermarket price war intensifies

Rapid growth at Iceland has ground to a halt as the frozen food chain comes under mounting pressure in the face of an intensifying supermarket price war. The retailer has told bondholders that underlying profits rose just 0.6pc to £317.6m in the year to the end of March, compared to a 24pc jump the prior year. Revenues were largely flat at £4.2bn over the year, although its 2024 financial year – when sales jumped 6.6pc – was boosted by an additional trading week. Stripping these figures out, sales were up 3pc this year on prior year. The slowdown is understood to have come as Iceland pushes to keep prices lower as supermarkets battle to attract and retain shoppers. Earlier this year, Asda kicked off a price war in an attempt to stem years of declines. Its new chairman, Allan Leighton, has vowed to use a 'war chest' to fund price cuts, improve availability of products and refresh tired stores. The company said this would mean profits would take a 'material hit'. Tesco responded by saying its profits would fall as much as 14pc this year with plans to invest £400m in price cuts. To avoid losing shoppers to rivals, Iceland has been stepping up its programme of multibuy promotions, where customers can buy bundles of products for less than if they bought them separately. This meant that while the number of items it sold last year increased by 5.3pc, it did not see an rise in the value of its sales. Credit rating agency, Fitch, said shoppers continued to turn to Iceland for value 'despite heightened competition'. Its market share has remained flat at between 2.3pc and 2.4pc over the past five years. Fitch added: 'We expect Iceland's product offering to remain competitive for UK food consumers with weaker spending power.' However, the credit ratings agency raised concerns over Iceland's profitability, suggesting the supermarket chain would have to invest in price cuts this year at a time when it is battling higher costs. It said the supermarket, which employs more than 30,000 people, would face 'momentary profit pressure', publishing forecasts suggesting underlying profits could dip this year. Fitch said: 'The company, along with other UK-based retailers, will be hit by the rise in National Insurance and minimum living wage contributions from [this year], which we estimate will result in an additional cost of £50m.' Iceland chairman, Richard Walker, said earlier this year the National Insurance raid had 'added greatly to the cost of business', ranking the Labour government a 'six out of 10' for its performance in office. It followed earlier efforts to downplay the hit. Last year, after Rachel Reeves's Budget, Mr Walker said companies should stop 'wallowing' and 'complaining' about the tax raid. Mr Walker, who had been a donor to the Tory party before switching allegiance to Labour, said last December: 'The Government isn't going to change its mind. It was a tough Budget, but we adapt.' The expected profit crunch comes after Iceland's chief executive, Tarsem Dhaliwal, in April said the company was bracing for surging food costs. Speaking to industry publication. The Grocer, Mr Dhaliwal said his biggest concern was rising prices being imposed by its suppliers. He said: 'The reality is that we have to be conscious of the fact our suppliers are going to pass the costs onto us, literally straight away. We can't absorb all that, I don't think any retailer can, so there's going to be food inflation.' At the time, Mr Dhaliwal said that Iceland would be battling to 'remain competitive', adding: 'Consumers might end up with less items in their basket, still spending £10 but on less items.' Already, food inflation is running at around 4pc, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium, with increases in the price of staples such as meat and tea fuelling the higher level.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store