British PM and Trump not pictured together after two-hour dinner

Decision made on New York meeting despite ex-US president previously being photographed with number of foreign leaders

No pictures will be released of Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump after their first meeting on Thursday night.
The British Government hailed it as a diplomatic coup when the former US president agreed to meet the Prime Minister in New York.
But despite this, both governments have declined to release a photograph of the two-hour dinner.
The decision has been made even though Trump has in the past been pictured with a number of foreign leaders.
It will raise suggestions that Sir Keir wants to make the meeting as low-profile as possible to avoid him being tainted by too close a relationship with the Republican contender, who is unpopular with Labour’s Left-wing supporters.
There is also an issue around embarrassing comments made about Trump by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, who was at the dinner.
Six years ago, when he was an opposition backbencher, he branded the former US president a “woman-hating neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath” and a “tyrant in a toupee”.
The Prime Minister had also hoped to meet Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, but she was too busy campaigning.
The talks, held at Trump Tower in New York, were the first between Sir Keir and the former US president as they aimed to boost relations with each other before the US election.
Downing Street released few details at all about the two-hour dinner.
A spokesman said: “They discussed the longstanding friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States and the importance of continuing to develop the strong and enduring partnership between our two countries.”
It is not known what they ate, although it is believed Trump usually eats well-done steak at such events.
The Prime Minister was in the city for the UN General Assembly, where he gave a major speech denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
His meeting with Trump came hours after the Republican nominee gave his strongest signal yet that he would scale back support for Kyiv.
Before the talks, Sir Keir said: “It’ll be really to establish a relationship between the two of us. I’m a great believer in personal relations on the international stage.
“I think it really matters that you know who your counterpart is in any given country, and know them you know personally, get to know them face to face.
“Obviously, I still want to speak to Harris as well. But you know, the usual diary challenges, but it’s good that this one now has been fixed.”
Sir Keir was asked whether he would be prepared to stand up to Trump if he becomes US president again on global issues including Ukraine, after the Republican candidate urged Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, to “give up a little bit” to appease Vladimir Putin.
“The first thing I think is important to say in relation to this is we’ve obviously had a special relationship with the US for a long time, forged in really difficult circumstances,” he said.
“That always sits above whoever holds the particular office, either in the US or the UK, and it is really important. I think it’s probably as strong now as it’s ever been, in relation to the Middle East and Ukraine.”
He added: “The US people will decide who they want as their president, and we will work with whoever is president, as you would expect.
“I’m not going to speculate on what any particular issues may be on the other side of the election.”