Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer are meeting in Scotland today on the final day of the US president’s golfing holiday. The leaders are expected to discuss trade and the war in Gaza. It comes after a US-EU trade deal was confirmed yesterday – listen to Trump 100 on what happens next below.
Monday 28 July 2025 11:24, UK
A former British ambassador to the US has said Donald Trump has played a “very skilful game” in negotiations with the European Union over a framework trade agreement.
Sir Peter Westmacott said Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping the US president is in a “good frame of mind” for their talks this afternoon due to the meeting being held at one of his golf courses.
“That’s not a bad thing… what’s wrong with going up to Scotland to have a conversation on some of these really difficult issues and be honest in an atmosphere which, with a bit of luck, will be productive,” he told our presenter Wilfred Frost.
Westmacott explained that the framework trade deal represents “the art of the deal” for the US president.
“If you’re a businessman or a mafia boss or whatever you are, you set out your terms way above what you expect to get, and you’re prepared to give a little in order to get your bottom line,” he said.
“He has played a very skilful game. Of course, we all need to be able to have access to the US market, so he’s got a number of strong cards in his hand when he has these negotiations.”
Watch the full interview in the video below.
Sir Keir Starmer has touched down in Glasgow ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump this afternoon.
Starmer flew from Zurich after he watched the Lionesses beat Spain in the Women’s Euros final in Basel yesterday.
He will meet Trump at the US president’s golf club in Turnberry, with Downing Street saying the two leaders will discuss the “advancing implementation” of the US-UK agreement to lift tariffs.
Also top of the agenda is ending the “unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza” and freeing the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas.
There has been more criticism from within the European Union this morning after the trade agreement with the US.
France’s prime minister has said that the agreement marks a “sombre day” for Europe.
Francois Bayrou said it represents a moment when an “alliance of free people, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission”.
It comes after French ministers described the deal as being “unbalanced” and called for more talks before it is formally concluded (see 9.00 post).
Donald Trump’s weekend has involved a mixture of golf and diplomacy at his course in Turnberry.
Take a look at the pictures below to see how the US president has been spending his weekend.
Hungary’s prime minister has said Donald Trump “ate Von der Leyen for breakfast” after the US and the European Union signed a framework trade agreement.
As we’ve reported, the US will impose 15% tariffs on most EU goods entering America, while the deal includes $600bn (£446bn) of EU investments in the US.
The bloc will buy $750bn (£558bn) of US energy and also purchase American military equipment as part of the agreement.
“This is not an agreement… Donald Trump ate Von der Leyen for breakfast,” Viktor Orban, an ally of Trump, said on a podcast.
“This is what happened and we suspected this would happen as the US president is a heavyweight when it comes to negotiations while Madame President is featherweight.”
Sky News understands Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has accepted an invitation to have dinner with Donald Trump in Aberdeenshire tonight.
That will be ahead of separate, widely publicised one-on-one talks between Swinney and Trump tomorrow.
A source has said the talks are likely to come before Trump cuts the ribbon on his new golf course.
Swinney was full of optimism ahead of Trump’s visit, saying Scotland will be showcased “on the world stage”.
“This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy,” he said.
French government ministers have sounded a warning over the trade deal between the US and the European Union, describing it as “unbalanced”.
“The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,” European affairs minister Benjamin Haddad wrote on X.
The view has also been echoed by France’s industry minister Marc Ferracci, who called for more talks before the deal is formally concluded.
“This is not the end of the story,” he told French radio station RTL.
As we explained in our 7.51 post, the US will impose 15% tariffs on most EU goods entering America, after Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
The deal includes $600bn (£446bn) of EU investments in the US, and the bloc will buy $750bn (£558bn) of US energy and also purchase American military equipment.
Donald Trump will again be mixing golf with diplomacy today at his golf course in the Ayrshire village of Turnberry.
The US president will be meeting Sir Keir Starmer this afternoon, and we’ll bring you text updates on this live page.
Watch a live view of the Trump Turnberry course here…
In the latest episode of our Trump 100 podcast, US correspondent James Matthews and Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies analyse the new US-EU trade deal.
They ask who the actual winners are from it and what we can expect next from the US leader during his time in Scotland.
If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump 100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.
You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.
The US and EU reached an agreement on a trade deal last night after Ursula von der Leyen made a last-minute trip to Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Trump told reporters it was the “biggest deal ever made” and will be “great for cars” as well as having a “big impact” on agriculture.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on most EU goods entering America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
The deal includes $600bn (£446bn) of EU investments in the US, and the bloc will buy $750bn (£558bn) of US energy and also purchase American military equipment.
Trump said: “I think it’s great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all.”
“I think it’s the biggest deal ever made.”
But not everyone within the EU is happy, with some countries complaining that the terms favour the US.
Our US correspondent James Matthews breaks down what’s in the deal below…
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