Credit where credit's due: Sir Keir Starmer pulled off a real zinger in his visit to meet President Donald Trump at the White House. Publicly producing an official invite from the King for a second state visit was guaranteed to win over the half-British and pro-monarchy President.

The prime minister wants to keep everyone happy. He has been loath to criticize Trump, has warmed up Britain’s post-Brexit partnership with the European Union, avowedly backed Kyiv and thawed ties with China. At a time of geopolitical upheaval, he is attempting to squeeze Britain into an impossibly tight Venn diagram.

Starmer seems to have come away with the chance at avoiding tariffs by recognising the constraints of the reality on the ground in Washington.