Royal diplomacy: how UK govt will seek to charm Trump

by Peter HUTCHISON

Britain's Labour government hopes to stay in U.S. President Donald Trump's good books by mobilising the royal family and a former spin doctor dubbed the "Prince of Darkness".

Trump's affection for his mother's ancestral home, Scotland, where he owns two golf resorts, and a mooted second state visit to the UK could also help maintain good relations, observers say.

"He's liable to be buttered up, right? So anything you can throw at him (will help)," Steven Fielding, a politics professor at the University of Nottingham, told AFP.

From the Russia-Ukraine war and possible trade tariffs to differences over climate change and China, the US-UK "special relationship" looks set for a rollercoaster ride over the next four years.

Trump's unpredictable nature threatens to derail UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's overarching ambition for his premiership -- to fire up Britain's anaemic post-Brexit, post-Covid economy.

Added to the mix are unflattering comments about Trump made by senior Labour figures in the past, and recent verbal attacks on Starmer by Trump ally Elon Musk, the world's richest man.

- Charm offensive -

Now a British charm offensive is under way, highlighted by Buckingham Palace revealing on Monday that King Charles III had sent a personal message of congratulations to Trump on his second inauguration.

Trump is known to be a big fan of the royal family. Heir-to-the-throne Prince William was dispatched to Paris last month, where he chatted with Trump on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral.

"A good man, this one!" Trump said of William, adding: "He's doing a fantastic job" as the prince laughed.

The Times reported this week that senior royals were being lined up to visit the United States to boost relations with Trump.

That may be in 2026, when America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of its declaration of independence.

The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump and his wife Melania in 2019, when they were last in the White House, and the British government may be tempted to roll out the red carpet for another state visit.

Trump's son Eric has already said his golf-mad father plans to visit Scotland this summer for the opening of a new golf course at his club near the northeastern city of Aberdeen.

Trump's mother Mary Anne MacLeod was from the northwestern Isle of Lewis.

- 'Trump respects power' -

Crucial to smooth relations with the Trump administration will likely be Peter Mandelson.

His work as Labour's director of communications in the 1980s helped set the party on its way to three consecutive election wins under then prime minister Tony Blair.

The UK government has nominated him as its next ambassador to the US, although Trump still needs to approve the appointment, and there is speculation that he could block it.

Mandelson is renowned for his powers of persuasion and, as a former European commissioner for trade, would bring considerable deal-making experience to Washington.

"What Trump respects is power and he will know that Mandelson is obviously a powerful player within British politics," Patrick Diamond, a special adviser to Mandelson when Labour was last in government, told AFP.

Centre-left Labour has spent recent months trying to build bridges with the US Republican's team.

Senior figures have love-bombed Trump with compliments to try and atone for previous unflattering comments.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who once called Trump a "tyrant in a toupee", this week praised his "incredible grace", recalling a dinner he and Starmer had had with Trump in New York in September.

"I think strategically they have to (row back) because Trump isn't a particularly forgiving man," said Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think tank.

The British government has been noticeably careful not to criticize Trump's first moves since he returned to the White House on Monday.

Starmer's official spokesman refused to condemn Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization -- entities the UK supports.

It remains to be seen how long the UK government can maintain that silence.

Fielding noted that it was probably going to have to "live through a lot of degrading rhetoric".

"I think holding of tongues is what it will be," Aspinall told AFP.

"Even if we're using diplomatic channels to persuade, our outward front will always be quite smiling and constructive," she added.

Fielding reckoned the British government should stress the "mutual benefits" of UK-US cooperation.

It should put its case "as clearly and as transactionally as possible", he said.

"Don't be craven. Don't let him bully you. Just play it straight."

© Agence France-Presse

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