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Trump’s UK visit: An economic opportunity or political minefield for Starmer?

With leaders from Nvidia, Apple and more among the US delegation, the United Kingdom’s prime minister hopes to secure a crucial economic boost amid mounting domestic pressure

    • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in February. Significant investment announcements are expected during Trump's second state visit to the UK, where he will meet again with Starmer.
    • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in February. Significant investment announcements are expected during Trump's second state visit to the UK, where he will meet again with Starmer. PHOTO: REUTERS
    Published Mon, Sep 15, 2025 · 08:00 PM

    WHEN US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive in the UK this week for an unprecedented second state visit, they will be met with the full force of royal pomp and political pageantry. Yet underneath the ceremony hosted by King Charles and Prime Minister Keir Starmer lies a deep business rationale.

    The scale of the business delegation accompanying Trump underscores the visit’s economic focus. With Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink in tow, significant investment announcements are expected. 

    These reportedly include a £500 billion (S$870.6 billion) Stargate data centre project by OpenAI and Nvidia, and an estimated £700 million investment from BlackRock, as part of a joint venture with Digital Gravity Partners focused on acquiring and modernising data centre infrastructure.

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