DAN HODGES: After THAT White House bust-up, the idea of Starmer rolling out the red carpet and asking our nation - and our King - to bend the knee to Donald Trump is not just sickening, it's political

For one brief, shining moment it was a triumph. He left with Donald Trump’s blessing for a settlement over Chagos, a putative commitment to Ukraine’s security, a promise of a trade agreement and a gushing compliment about his ‘beautiful’ wife. A meeting was arranged with Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, where Lammy – a veteran of Labour’s exhausting march out of the wilderness of opposition – immediately recognised his political acumen and tenacity. Important early contacts were Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally; Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former CIA director, and Elbridge Colby, who developed Trump’s strategic defence policy during his first term. Keir Starmer's White House meeting with the President was a brief, shining moment which turned to dust the moment Mr Trump started belittling Volodymyr Zelensky, writes Dan Hodges Foreign Secretary David Lammy laid the foundations for Sir Keir's White House visit years before Labour came to power, embarking on a round of cross-Atlantic shuttle diplomacy Mr Lammy, left, developed a 'bromance' with Vice-President-to-be JD Vance, right Sir Keir's trump card was his deliverance of King Charles's invitation to tea to the President The British team contacted the Hudson Institute – the Washington-based international relations think-tank – and spoke to Ken Weinstein, Trump’s former ambassador to Japan.