Sir Keir Starmer gifted gun and ammunition by Turkish president
Sir Keir Starmer was presented with a personalized pistol containing live ammunition by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit.
The firearm engraved with the prime minister’s name was one of a series of similar gifts presented to the leaders of each country attending the event in Ankara.
Sir Keir’s pistol was not brought to England and remained in the hands of British officials in Türkiye.
It is expected to be decommissioned before being returned, meaning it can no longer use live ammunition.
Erdogan waived export controls on the gift, but it remained in Türkiye because it is illegal to import live firearms into the UK.
Downing Street did not release a picture of the gun.
At the summit, Sir Keir signed a defense agreement with Erdogan that will pave the way for closer intelligence sharing between the countries.
Speaking after the summit, Sir Keir said he believed the alliance was stronger and more united after the meeting.
“It was a nice summit. We achieved our goal of unity.
“This is very important for us, especially given the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran,” he added.
This will be Sir Keir’s last major international event after announcing his resignation last month.
