UK's Starmer to hold urgent talks over Gaza 'humanitarian catastrophe'
In a strongly worded statement late on Thursday, Starmer said he would discuss with partners "what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need," and called on Israel to allow aid into the Palestinian enclave.
"The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe," Starmer said.
"We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay," he added, referring to France and Germany.
Gaza's health authorities have said over 100 people have died from starvation, most of them in recent weeks.
More than 100 organisations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, have said mass starvation is spreading in Gaza even as tons of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the enclave.
Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened the flow with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing aid in but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
Starmer said he supported U.S., Qatari and Egyptian efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
"A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution," he said.
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BBC News
3 minutes ago
- BBC News
US president Donald Trump arrives in Scotland for four-day visit
US president Donald Trump said "it's great to be in Scotland" as he landed for a four-day private Air Force One touched down at Prestwick Airport, just before 20:30, the US president was met by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and Warren Stephens, US Ambassador to the spoke to journalists before the presidential motorcade left for his Turnberry resort, in South Ayrshire, where he is expected to play golf on about Sir Keir Starmer, who he is due to meet on Monday, he said: "I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am - as you probably heard - but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done." Trump added: "You know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years, he got it done - that's a good deal, it's a good deal for the UK."The president earlier also described Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as "a good man" and said he was looking forward to meeting has pledged to "essentially speak out for Scotland". The motorcade - which contained more than two dozen vehicles - entered Trump's Turnberry golf resort at about 21:30, flanked by Police Scotland vehicles and ambulance he arrived at the resort, the president's vehicle - known as The Beast - passed a small group of will stay at Turnberry over the weekend before heading to his second property in Aberdeenshire, where he will open a new 18-hole course at Menie."Sean Connery helped get me the permits - if it weren't for Sean Connery we wouldn't have those great courses," he said, referring to the Scottish actor he said helped him get planning permission for the courses. Trump is expected to meet Starmer and Swinney on Monday while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on X that she will meet the president on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade will travel back to the US on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.A number of protests are expected to be held to coincide with the visit, including demonstrations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Saturday. A major security operation has been under way in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire this week, ahead of the president's of officers have also been drafted in to support Police Scotland, under mutual aid arrangements, from other UK closures and diversions have been put in place in Turnberry, while a security checkpoint outside the resort and a large fence has been erected around the course.A number of police vans have also been seen at the Menie site. Speaking to journalists at Prestwick, Trump said European countries need to "get your act together" on migration, and "stop the windmills", referring to wind said: "I say two things to Europe: Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad."You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds, and if they're stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans."Stop the windmills, and also, I mean, there's a couple of things I could say, but on immigration, you'd better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore."In 2019, his company Trump International lost a long-running court battle to stop a major wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen. Trump argued that the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie. Trump also claimed that illegal migration was an "invasion" which was "killing Europe".He said: "Last month, we (the United States) had nobody entering our country. Nobody. Shut it down. And we took out a lot of bad people that got there with (former US president Joe) Biden."Biden was a total stiff, and what he allowed to happen.... but you're allowing it to happen to your countries, and you've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe; many countries in Europe."Some people, some leaders, have not let it happen, and they're not getting the proper credit they should."I could name them to you right now, but I'm not going to embarrass the other ones."But stop: this immigration is killing Europe." Quizzed on the latest developments with the Epstein files and Ghislaine Maxwell's interview with the Department of Justice, Trump said he had "really nothing to say about it"."A lot of people are asking me about pardons obviously - this is no time to be talking about pardons."He said the media was "making a very big thing out of something that's not a big thing".Earlier, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told reporters the US president's visit to Scotland was in the "national interest".Speaking during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory, near Glasgow Airport, she said: "The work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal."Reeves added that it had a "tangible benefit" for people in Scotland, from the Scotch whisky industry to the defence sector."Swinney said his meeting with Trump would present an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in first minister said he would also raise "significant international issues" including "the awfulness of the situation in Gaza".And he urged those set to protest against the president's visit to do so "peacefully and to do so within the law". Visits to Scotland by sitting US presidents are Elizabeth hosted Dwight D Eisenhower at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire in 1957. George W Bush travelled to Gleneagles in Perthshire for a G8 summit in 2005 and Joe Biden attended a climate conference in Glasgow in only other serving president to visit this century is Trump himself in 2018 when he was met by protesters including one flying a paraglider low over Turnberry, breaching the air exclusion zone around the returned in 2023, two-and-a-half years after he was defeated by Biden. Trump does have a genuine link to Gaelic-speaking mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in 1912 on the island of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides and left during the Great Depression for New York where she married property developer Fred son's return to Scotland for four days this summer comes ahead of an official state visit from 17-19 September when the president and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Massive security operation kicks in as the US President touches down in Scotland to huge cheering crowds... with only a limp handful protesters
Donald Trump touched down in Scotland to cheering crowds amid a massive security operation that spans the country. Air Force One landed at the nationalised Prestwick Airport shortly before 8.30pm ahead of the President's four full days of talks and leisure time at his golf courses on the Ayrshire coast and in Aberdeenshire. Huge crowds of onlookers applauded his arrival while only a handful of protesters held up crude placards outside Turnberry. The visit is expected to require a security operation as big as the arrangements for the late Queen Elizabeth II 's funeral in September 2022 - involving up to 6,000 officers - with taxpayers again facing a bill of more than £3million for policing his stay. This trip has now commandeered almost a third of Police Scotland's manpower to make sure things go smoothly and saw officers in high viz vests swarming over greens, tees, fairways and DC while snipers overlooked it from watchtowers. Major protests are planned to take place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on Saturday with officers from other forces brought in to bolster the Scots force. Rounds were still being played but the golf was happening behind miles of newly erected 10ft fences with ultra-fine mesh to keep protesters away. During the visit, Mr Trump will hold talks with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, First Minister John Swinney and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. On the Prestwick runway Mr Trump renewed his war against the expansion of wind farms, which he previously opposed off the coast of his Menie course in Aberdeenshire. He told reporters: 'I say two things to Europe: stop the windmills, you are ruining your countries. 'I really mean it. It's so sad, you fly over and you see these windmills all over the place ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds and if they are stuck in your oceans ruining your oceans. 'On immigration, you'd better get your act together or you are not going to have Europe any more.' He said he will be meeting with 'numerous executives' and 'a lot of people' at Turnberry and Aberdeen, which he said 'is the oil capital of Europe'. He said his talks with Sir Keir will be a 'celebration' of the US/UK trade deal but played down the prospects of changes, saying 'the deal is concluded'. Mr Trump also talked up the prospect of his Turnberry resort hosting the Open and dismissing concerns that infrastructure must be improved first. He said: 'I don't know, the best course anywhere in the world is Turnberry, the players all want to be at Turnberry, everybody wants to be at Turnberry so we will see how that works out.' As he set off from the White House on Air Force One, President Trump spoke of his love for Scotland and said at the time that he wants to talk about improvements to the US/UK trade deal with Sir Keir. After landing late at Prestwick, he travelled to Trump Turnberry. Business leaders say the trip is a 'huge opportunity' to strengthen Scotland's economic ties with the world's biggest economy and can pave the way for detailed discussions on trade and tariffs. Talking about his plans with Sir Keir before leaving the US, Mr Trump said they will be having dinner at Turnberry then travelling to Aberdeen, which he described as 'the oil capital of Europe' to have lunch. He said: 'We are going to have a good time, the Prime Minister and I get along very well.' On his proposed meeting with Mr Swinney, he said: 'I have a lot of love (for Scotland), my mother was born in Scotland. 'The Scottish leader's a good man, and I look forward to meeting him.' Turning to an aide, he said: 'That's all set up, right?' Scotch whisky chiefs are desperate for the President to reduce or scrap the 10 per cent duty imposed on exports of malts and blends to the US. Asked whether he will be doing any business deals with the UK, he said: 'Yeah I'm going to meet with the Prime Minister right now, we're going to be over there in about six hours, we're meeting with the Prime Minister tonight. 'We're going to be talking about the trade deal that we made and maybe even improve it.' He added that they will discuss 'certain aspects that are good for both countries' and also 'do a little celebrating'. Mr Trump was greeted by Labour's Scottish Secretary Ian Murray at Turnberry, despite the Edinburgh South MP previously backing a House of Commons motion which called for his 2019 State visit to be cancelled and accused him of 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves yesterday said the President's visit to Scotland is in the 'national interest'. She said: 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal. 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.' Business leaders hope the visit will pave the way for agreements which can boost the Scottish and UK economies. Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: 'There are £30 billion reasons why the USA matters to Scotland and President Trump's visit is a fantastic platform to showcase the best of Scottish business on a global stage. 'We have a President who understands business, is a deal maker, is personally and financially invested in our nation, and appreciates the value of our world class products and services. 'That's a strong basis for a special relationship and a huge opportunity to strengthen Scotland's economic ties with the world's biggest economy and our largest export market outside the EU.' Ahead of his own talks with the President, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. He said: 'There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will meet US President Donald Trump in Scotland on Sunday. Ms von der Leyen made the announcement on X, saying: 'Following a good call with @POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong.'
Sky News
29 minutes ago
- Sky News
'Immigration is killing Europe': Donald Trump issues warning to leaders as he arrives in Scotland
Donald Trump has landed in Scotland ahead of a four-day trip, which includes high-level meetings, praising Sir Keir Starmer as "a good man" but also calling illegal migration a "horrible invasion" that was "killing Europe". Crowds gathered at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire amid a major security operation for the US president's visit. Mr Trump told reporters: "I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am... but he's a good man... he got a trade deal done. It's a good deal for the UK." The pair are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Trump left Air Force One to head to Turnberry, one of his Scottish golf courses. Part of the trip will include the opening of another course in Aberdeenshire, billed as "the greatest 36 holes in golf". "There's no place like Turnberry. It's the best, probably the best course in the world. And I would say Aberdeen is right up there," the US president said. " Sean Connery helped get me the [planning] permits. If it weren't for Sean Connery, we wouldn't have those great courses," he added. During the trip, President Trump will also hold discussions with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is keen to secure a trade deal with the US. Mr Trump told reporters there was "a good 50-50 chance" of an agreement with the EU but added there were "maybe 20 different" sticking points. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by 1 August. The US president touched on illegal immigration and gave European leaders a stark warning. "You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together," he said. "But you're allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe. Immigration is killing Europe," he told reporters. 1:30 He was also scathing about the installation of wind turbines across Europe. "Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries," he said. "It's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds." Domestically, President Trump faces the biggest political crisis of his second term in office over his administration's handling of files linked to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. "You're making a big thing over something that's not a big thing. I'm focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are," he said. Mr Trump added that "now's not the time" to discuss a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned accomplice. 17:35 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 While the president's visit did attract some enthusiastic flag-waving supporters at Prestwick Airport, he is also likely to trigger a number of protests, prompting Police Scotland to call in support from other forces in the UK. The Stop Trump Scotland group has planned demonstrations on Saturday in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries. About 70% of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a positive opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. President Trump is staying at his Turnberry property on Scotland's west coast this weekend, before travelling to Aberdeenshire on Monday, where he will open a second 18-hole course. He is due to return to the UK in September for a state visit hosted by the King - the first world leader in modern times to undertake two UK state visits.
