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The Prime Minister will be focused on delivering prosperity and security for the British people, when he meets President Trump today (Thursday 27 February) in Washington D.C.

The UK and the US share a unique and historic relationship, based on shared values and a mutual commitment to economic and defence cooperation.聽聽

The UK and the US have one of the biggest trading relationships of any two countries in the world, worth around 400 billion dollars and supporting over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.聽聽聽聽聽

This visit comes just days after the third anniversary of Russia鈥檚 illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister and President Trump share a commitment to delivering lasting peace in Ukraine, and the Prime Minister will reiterate the UK鈥檚 commitment to securing a just and enduring peace, bringing an end to Russia鈥檚 illegal war.聽聽聽聽聽

The Prime Minister will be clear that there can be no negotiations about Ukraine, without Ukraine and will recognise the need for Europe to play its part on global defence and step up for the good of collective European security.聽聽聽聽

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced that defence spending will increase to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament. This will drive economic growth and create jobs across the UK, while bolstering national security and protecting borders.聽聽聽

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:聽聽聽聽

The world is becoming ever more dangerous, and it is more important than ever that we are united with our allies.聽聽聽聽聽

A stable economy, secure borders and national security are the foundations of my Plan for Change, and the US-UK relationship is integral to delivering them. These principles will be at the heart of discussions with President Trump today.聽聽聽聽聽

There are huge opportunities for us to deepen our special relationship, deliver growth and security, and improve the lives of working people in both our great nations.

Both countries are world leaders in AI and advanced technologies, and the Prime Minister will be looking to build on these strong foundations to create jobs and economic growth.聽聽聽聽聽

The discussion will have a particular focus on the opportunities that further technology and AI partnerships could deliver. These include a proposal of high-ambition shared moonshot missions across top technologies including quantum and AI,聽and a deeper partnership on space.聽聽聽聽聽

The US and UK are the only two allied countries with trillion-dollar technology eco-systems,聽and the Prime Minister will make the case for further integration between the two countries鈥� tech sectors to make them the most efficient, ambitious technology sectors in the world.聽聽聽聽聽

In October, US tech firms announced a 拢6.3 billion package of investment to support UK data centres 鈥� a central pillar of the government鈥檚 plan to ramp up the country鈥檚 AI capacity. In January a further 拢12 billion investment from Vantage Data Centers created over 11,500 jobs as the government published its AI Opportunities Action Plan.聽聽聽

These investments represent just one facet of the deepening science, innovation, and technology collaboration between both countries. In AI, researchers from both sides of the Atlantic have dedicated research exchange programmes to share knowledge and expertise in delivering the next wave of cutting-edge innovations that improve people鈥檚 lives in areas such as personalised care, autonomous surgeries, and cancer diagnosis 鈥� on top of a broader AI partnership which has also been signed by the AI Institutes of both countries.聽

On a visit to the West Coast at the end of last year Technology Secretary Peter Kyle met a range of companies to bang the drum for further investment in the UK鈥檚 technology sector. Just two weeks ago, he also put pen to paper on a new partnership with leading AI firm Anthropic which will explore how the technology can be put to work to transform the public services that UK citizens rely on, and deliver on the government鈥檚 Plan for Change.聽聽聽

The Prime Minister will join President Trump at the White House on Thursday, where he will be greeted by the President before signing the White House Guest Book and a tete a tete at the Oval Office. This will be followed by a bilateral lunch, and a joint press conference. He will also carry out a defence focused visit.聽聽聽

On arrival on Wednesday night, he will meet a select group of CEOs from large US businesses to discuss their existing and growing presence in the UK, and the importance of UK-US trade and investment. He will outline the strength of the UK offer to investors: policy stability; an active partnership with government; an open, trading economy; and a reform agenda focused on making it easier to do business.聽聽聽

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will join the Prime Minister鈥檚 programme at the White House.