Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive France’s Legion d’Honneur

Keir Starmer has become the first UK prime minister to be presented with the Legion d'Honneur by a French president, according to a single-source report. The honor was awarded by Emmanuel Macron for Starmer's leadership in establishing the coalition of the willing, a group of countries chaired by France and the UK that have pledged to support Ukraine. The award was presented during Starmer's visit to Paris for Bastille Day celebrations, where he met British troops and watched the parade alongside Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Macron stated that Starmer played a "historic role" in forming the group to support Ukraine. The only other British prime minister to receive a similar award, at the higher Grand-Croix level, was Winston Churchill in 1958. The report notes that Macron had frequently clashed with previous Conservative prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss over Brexit.

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Sources: The Guardian