Britain: President George Bush arrived in London last night for a state visit to the United Kingdom apparently gathering public support despite the certainty of mass protests and a row over its cost.
Environmental and anti-war protesters were staging the first "Stop Bush" demonstrations in London as Air Force One touched down at Heathrow Airport. President Bush and his wife, Laura, were greeted by Prince Charles before flying by helicopter to Buckingham Palace for a private overnight ahead of the pomp and ceremony of this morning's official welcome by Queen Elizabeth.
The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, will fire a 41-gun salute, and army detachments will march in full military splendour, as the bomb-proof presidential Cadillac carries the president the short distance to the palace forecourt for the ceremonies marking the start of a historic but controversial visit.
Police officers were working the beat on the first of 14,000 shifts in the front line of an unprecedented and complex security operation to protect the President as he and the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, reaffirm the "special relationship" between their two countries.
British special forces and security services are working alongside hundreds of US Secret Services agents, under the overall command of Scotland Yard, to ensure the safety of the President and the capital amid renewed intelligence warnings about a possible terrorist attack and fears that anarchists could seek to hijack intended peaceful protests.
President Bush will receive courtesy calls from the Conservative leader, Mr Michael Howard, and the Liberal Democrats leader, Mr Charles Kennedy, later this morning before travelling to the Banqueting House in Whitehall where he will deliver a speech on the transatlantic alliance.
But before tonight's state banquet at the palace protesters are planning an "alternative" state procession and tea-party, amid reports of planned sit-downs and civil disobedience tactics ahead of tomorrow's march past parliament and along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square which organisers predict will be joined by more than 100,000 people.
The success of the Stop The War coalition in staging massive and entirely peaceful protests before the Iraq conflict finally persuaded the Metropolitan Police to permit the protesters so close to the scene of tomorrow's scheduled Downing Street talks between Mr Blair and Mr Bush.
Plans for the handover of power to an interim Iraqi authority by next June will top the agenda for the Downing Street summit, along with the wider question of a Middle East peace process and the threat of a trade war between Europe and the US.
There was disappointment for Downing Street last night ahead of the President's arrival with indications from American sources that Mr Bush is unlikely to make any statement about his controversial steel tariffs before leaving Britain on Friday.
There was also embarrassment for Mr Blair yesterday when the London Mayor, Mr Ken Livingstone, whom Mr Blair is reportedly keen to have readmitted to the Labour Party, complained about the policing costs of the President's visit while suggesting that Londoners would happily pay twice as much to have him stay away.
The Mayor, who will host a peace party at City Hall tonight, has described Mr Bush as "the greatest threat to life on this planet." In a message of support to those protesters converging on London tomorrow Mr Livingstone said they held "the high moral ground" while telling them they also had a responsibility to ensure there was no violence in London this week.
However, Mr Blair was boosted by yesterday's ICM poll for the Guardian showing a majority of Labour supporters in favour of the President's visit, which more people overall approve (43 per cent) than disapprove (36 per cent).