Donald Trump is going to go easy on Sir Keir Starmer during his state visit in light of the intense political pressure that the prime minister is under, according to reports.

One former US official told The Telegraph: “This trip will be about the splendour of Windsor Castle, inspecting the troops, the big banquet. This is a big deal for him. And the plan is to keep it about that.”

They added that Mr Trump understood that Sir Keir “was on the ropes”.

Steve Bannon, the US president’s former chief strategist, told the newspaper: “The president, I believe, knows this transcends day-to-day politics – this is about America and the Anglosphere – the special relationship – he has looked forward to this, especially the customs and traditions.”

The chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has called for top civil servants to answer questions from her committee over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Dame Emily Thornberry called on Sir Olly Robbins, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, and the head of the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team to come before the committee “urgently”.

She said: “The dismissal of Lord Mandelson from the post of UK ambassador to the US raises serious questions about the integrity of our vetting and security processes. Were the proper processes followed, and if yes, why was a high-risk appointment allowed to go ahead?

“This week will see president Trump undertake a second state visit to the UK – a significant diplomatic event that we are now navigating without an ambassador. The public deserve answers as to why we have been left in this difficult position.

“It is in the public interest for the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) and Cabinet Office to appear in front of our Committee urgently.”

Both departments are understood to have said they are unavailable to appear before the committee before the Commons goes into recess on Tuesday.

Donald Trump is set to arrive in the UK on Tuesday for a rare second state visit at the invitation of King Charles III and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Hand-delivering the invitation in February, Sir Keir said the US president’s trip would be “unprecedented” and “historic”. Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in 2019, during his first presidential term, where he was greeted by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Here’s everything you need to know about the visit:

Most state visits to Britain, it is fair to say, are relatively low-key, jolly and uncomplicated. On the orders of Downing Street and the Foreign Office, the royals get the best silver and the tiaras out, and put on a show and a feast. Such exercises are an exercise in what’s called “soft power”, which is sometimes the only kind of power the British still possess. The House of Windsor has it in abundance.

This is as it should be, but obviously is not in the case of Donald Trump, a figure who invites mixed reactions in the UK just as he does in his native land and indeed globally. In short, no-one quite knows what will transpire before and after Tuesday evening, when the tangerine tyrant/saviour of Western civilisation, touches down. For all concerned, it could just as easily turn out to be a triumph as a disaster, with a mixture of both the more likely outcome. It should certainly be eventful.

Sean O’Grady writes:

But on his visit to the capital this week, the US president will not have to face an unflattering, air-filled caricature, which now sits in storage.

Harriette Boucher and Caspar Barnes report:

Police will be monitoring social media to check for mis or disinformation, and monitor the mood in the community during Donald Trump’s state visit.

People will also see a “very visible” police presence in the coming days, Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt, from Thames Valley Police (TVP), adding that the force had planned for “just about every foreseeable eventuality”.

The United States and Britain plan to announce more than $10 billion in economic deals this week as part of US president Donald Trump's state visit, senior US officials said on Monday.

The two governments are expected to seal a trade agreement with three pillars: a new science and technology partnership to strengthen the tech sectors of both countries, cooperation in civil nuclear power, and advances in defence technology cooperation, the officials said in a telephone briefing.

Several US tech business leaders are expected to be in attendance for the state visit, the officials said.