Donald Trump has told Sir Keir Starmer he should use the military to stop migrants crossing the Channel illegally.
The US president made the suggestion while stood alongside the prime minister for a typically wide-ranging news conference, bringing his state visit to Britain to an end.
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Speaking at Chequers, Sir Keir‘s country retreat, Mr Trump warned illegal migration is “going to destroy […] countries from within” and said “it doesn’t matter if you call out the military” to deal with small boats.
He talked up his own record of stopping people crossing the US-Mexico border.
Sir Keir instead pointed to his government’s migrant return deal with France, with the first deportation of a man who arrived via small boat taking place on Thursday morning.
Further flights are scheduled to take place this week and next, starting Friday, while exchange arrivals to Britain via the legal route agreed with the French are due in the coming days.
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Mr Trump also used the news conference to admit Vladimir Putin “has really let me down”, having stepped up his attacks against Ukraine since the two men held a peace summit in Alaska last month.
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But asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby if it was a mistake to invite Mr Putin and if he regrets it, the president replied: “No.”
It’s the “biggest disappointment” of his presidency that he hasn’t managed to end the war, Mr Trump admitted.
He said he thought it would be the “easiest” to solve because of his relationship with Mr Putin.
Sir Keir said the Russian president has “shown his true face”, and more “pressure” is required to make him stop.
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Trump reignites war of words with Khan
While disappointed with Mr Putin, Mr Trump spared his harshest rhetoric for Sir Keir’s friend Sadiq Khan.
Speaking on Air Force One on his way back to the US, he said he asked for the London mayor to be banned from attending the state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night.
“I didn’t want him there,” the president said. “I asked that he not be there.”
He claimed Sir Sadiq had wanted to be at the event, adding: “I think the mayor of London Khan is among the worst mayors in the world, and we have some bad ones.”
Sky News understands the mayor didn’t seek or expect an invitation. A source close to Sir Sadiq said the capital is a “global success story” and “record numbers of Americans are choosing to make London their home”.
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The Trump-Starmer news conference also covered the war in Gaza, the sacking of Lord Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador, energy policy, and a newly signed UK-US tech deal.
Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Mr Trump said: “Simply I want all hostages to be released now.”
He said he disagreed with the UK’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN within days, should Israel not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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Trump claims not to know Mandelson
Also asked by Beth Rigby if he has sympathy with Lord Mandelson, who was sacked by Sir Keir over past links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, the president simply said: “I don’t know him.”
That’s despite the president being pictured shaking hands with the Labour peer in the Oval Office after announcing a trade deal with the UK back in May.
There had been concerns that the Epstein issue could cast a shadow on the president’s second state visit to the UK, not least because Mr Trump was also close to Epstein, although they fell out before his conviction in 2009.
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Energy policy
Mr Trump urged Sir Keir to exploit the UK’s North Sea oil and gas resources, dismissing wind power as a “very expensive joke”.
The UK government has ruled out new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, focusing on renewables and building nuclear power stations.
Despite their differences, Mr Trump said the bond between the US and Britain is like no other, and he described the prime minister as a “tough negotiator”.
The pair signed a technology prosperity deal, offering major investment by US tech firms in the UK, that will help to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
Sir Keir also hailed the prospect of £150bn flowing into the UK from big US companies such as Palantir and Blackstone, part of a wider £250bn package that officials say will benefit both sides.
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Jimmy Kimmel controversy
Meanwhile, Mr Trump also commented on US late-night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose programme has been pulled from schedules after his remarks about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The president claimed the show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was suspended because he “is not a talented person” and had “very bad ratings”.
