Who will Keir Starmer meet at the European Summit at Blenheim Palace today?

Sir Keir Starmer hosts his first worldwide assembly as prime minister at present as he welcomes political leaders from throughout the European continent.

Holding the summit at Oxford’s Blenheim Palace, the ‘Assembly of the European Political Group’ marks one other essential occasion in Sir Keir’s busy calendar since turning into prime minister only some weeks in the past.

It additionally indicators the brand new prime minister’s want to enhance UK-EU relations, coming after enterprise secretary Jonathan Reynolds ventured to Italy to construct new commerce hyperlinks.

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There will likely be representatives from 47 European nations on the occasion, together with the 27 EU member states. The prime minister’s chosen venue, Blenheim Palace, has a protracted historical past of welcoming political leaders from internationally.

The grand constructing, positioned close to Oxford, was the birthplace of Winston Churchill and hosts occasions for the general public in its expansive backyard when not in official use.

Listed here are a few of the political heavyweights viewers can anticipate to see Sir Keir welcome at present on the European Summit:

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is anticipated to be in attendance at at present’s assembly of European leaders. The previous entertainer grew to become the sixth president of Ukraine in 2019 and has remained within the put up through the Russian invasion of the nation since 2022.

Sir Keir has pledged to proceed supplying assist to Ukraine throughout its conflict with Russia, matching the earlier authorities’s £3 billion a 12 months and seeking to the nation’s ascension to NATO membership.

Emmanuel Macron, France

French president Emmanuel Macron will likely be visiting Blenheim Palace at present simply weeks after the snap election he referred to as in June following his get together’s crushing defeat within the earlier EU elections.

Sir Keir wrote for France’s largest newspaper, Le Monde, forward of the summit at Blenheim to welcome the president to the UK and affirm his want to deepen the connection between their nations.

Giorgia Meloni, Italy

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has been within the put up since 2022, turning into the primary lady to carry the place after her election. She has led the right-wing get together Brothers of Italy since 2014 and has expressed a want for EU reform.

Sir Keir met with Ms Meloni for the primary time as prime minister final week at a NATO Summit in Washington. The pair reportedly mentioned their intention to remain in touch on worldwide points, and methods to strengthen relations between their two nations.

Olaf Scholz, Germany

Olaf Scholz has been chancellor for Germany since 2021. Like Sir Keir, he has beforehand labored as a lawyer, specialising in labour and employment legislation.

The pair additionally met on the NATO summit in Washington, with a Downing Road spokesperson saying: “The Chancellor welcomed the Prime Minister’s dedication to resetting the UK’s European partnerships, noting how necessary our friendships with like-minded nations will likely be in a difficult worldwide setting.”

Simon Harris, Eire

Simon Harris grew to become Eire’s Taoiseach in April 2024, taking up from Leo Varadkar who served two phrases between 2017 and his resignation in 2024.

Sir Keir just lately a “reset” in relations between the 2 nations with two pints of Guinness, as the brand new prime minister hosted the Irish chief at Chequers.