Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced an awkward start to the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, as he was left waiting for a meeting on Ukraine that was delayed by over half an hour. A live Reuters feed showed Starmer standing with the leaders of Canada and Japan, making small talk and asking, “Are they, are they having a meeting?” – apparently unaware that the missing attendees, including Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were meeting without him.
The incident highlighted Starmer’s fragile position on the world stage, with a potential leadership challenge looming if Labour loses the Makerfield byelection. Starmer’s team sought to focus on his international presence, but domestic drama forced him to appear on a video call with Labour members. Asked about a possible challenge from Andy Burnham, Starmer insisted he would not “walk away” and would “fight” if necessary.
Starmer’s waning influence was particularly evident in his interactions with Trump. Unlike last year’s G7, where the two held a joint press conference, no bilateral meeting was scheduled. Starmer downplayed any snub, noting he had sat next to Trump for two hours at the leaders’ dinner and spoken on the phone. A spokesperson stressed a “warm” relationship, but Trump later dismissed UK help in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the US would not “need much help”.
Starmer had more success with other leaders, meeting Mark Carney, Friedrich Merz, and Zelenskyy. He announced a £210m energy support package for Ukraine and investments by French and Indian firms in UK energy and AI, creating over 1,000 jobs. He also confirmed the second UK-EU summit on 22 July, writing that his government was “delivering on our promise to reset our relationship”.
