Humiliating moment Starmer thought Trump was inviting him to speak at Gaza peace summit – as he hails ‘a really historic day’

Sir Keir Starmer blushes -most Gaza Peace summit as strangely thought Donald Trump He invited him to the stage to speak.

The UK Prime Minister lined up behind the US President while speaking to world media in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and took time to praise leaders for their involvement in peace agreements.

During his speech, Mr. Trump read the list of countries participating in the summit and praised many of these countries for their work toward peace in the Middle East or various other international conflicts.

The list ended with Sir Keir being warmly welcomed by Britain and the US leader, who referred to the Prime Minister as his ‘friend’.

Sir Keir clumsily took it as an invitation to the stage as he stood up to step into the spotlight before being interrupted by his US counterpart.

After finishing his list, Mr Trump said: ‘Where is the United Kingdom, where is my friend Starmer? The Prime Minister replied: ‘I am behind you as always’.

The President then invited Sir Keir to the stage and said: ‘Come here, is everything going well?’ Starmer awkwardly replied ‘very well’ as he turned to the microphone.

The US leader then went in front of Starmer and continued his speech. He said: ‘It’s great to have you here. ‘These people all showed up with 20 minutes notice and I think that’s great.’

Sir Keir looked around awkwardly before slowly returning to his place on stage, smiling with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In a bizarre moment, the Prime Minister was not allowed to be the center of attention as Mr Trump stepped forward and continued speaking

The shameful move came just after the US President warned leaders: ‘I have known many of you for a very long time. Your friends, you are wonderful people.

‘There’s a couple I don’t particularly like but I won’t tell you who. There are actually a few that I don’t like at all, but you’ll never know who they are. Maybe you can’.

But despite the humiliation, Sir Keir Starmer later praised the US President for his work in securing the peace deal and said Britain could play a role in disabling Hamas’ weapons as well as monitoring the ceasefire.

Speaking after the summit, the Prime Minister said: ‘Today is truly a historic day, so we should start there and really thank President Trump and other leaders who have brought us to this point.

‘But you’re absolutely right. Now the real challenge is tomorrow and implementation. So yesterday has historical significance, but what happens tomorrow is really important.

‘That’s why I’ve been discussing with leaders all day what role we can play and that we, particularly the UK, can play a role in monitoring the ceasefire but also drawing on our experience in Northern Ireland to disable Hamas’ capabilities and weapons.

‘So the question today has now shifted to how do we implement, how do we keep this moving forward, and it’s really important that we maintain that focus. We must not make any further missteps.’

The prime minister has been accused of piggybacking on Mr Trump’s Gaza push.

On Monday morning he praised Mr Trump’s ‘tireless diplomatic efforts’ and credited him with securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.

But Sir Keir was accused of traveling to Egypt only for a ‘photoshoot’ after risking derailing the process by recognizing Palestine as a state last month.

The Tories likened the Prime Minister to former Chelsea player John Terry, who was fully fit to lift the Champions League trophy despite not playing in the final.

Sir Keir Starmer joins queue of world leaders waiting to shake Donald Trump’s hand at Gaza peace summit

Keir Starmer went to Egypt for the signing ceremony as the Gaza peace agreement came into force

Sir Keir (right) met with Emmanuel Macron (left) and Mahmoud Abbas (centre) in Sharm el-Sheikh today

The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy had previously sought to defuse tensions after the US ambassador to Israel branded a Cabinet minister a ‘dreamer’ who suggested Britain played a ‘key role’.

Starmer was also questioned about Tony Blair’s role in the Gaza peace council, stating that ‘it will be up to others to decide’ whether he is part of Gaza’s new administration.

Sir Tony was listed as a member of the proposed board in the peace plan released to the public by the White House last month.

Starmer said today: ‘I think the makeup of the peace committee is still being debated. For my part, I must say that I am much more interested in practical steps.’

Asked whether Blair would be involved, Starmer replied: ‘That’s for others to decide. Tony Blair was a great leader of our country and would make great contributions.

‘But I don’t focus on which person sits on which board. ‘I’m focused on what we need to do tomorrow, that is, tomorrow, to make sure this is implemented.’

The Prime Minister said that ‘discussions are ongoing’ about who will be on the board, but he did not put himself forward.

Steve Witkoff praised the UK’s ‘vital role’ and singled out under-fire national security adviser Jonathan Powell for the job. ‘incredible input’.

The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-hosted by Mr. Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is taking place as part of efforts to secure a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has been maintained since Friday.

Israel said Hamas left the first seven hostages in Red Cross custody just after 6 a.m.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has established a close relationship with Mr Trump, was a surprise attendee at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit

Trump heads to Middle East to celebrate peace deal while posing for photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Memoirs of Sir Keir as John Terry circulated on social media

Sir Keir said in a statement: ‘I share the deep sense of relief that Avinatan Or and the other hostages have been released today. But it is also a reminder of the treatment he suffered at the hands of Hamas and the atrocities that shook the world two years ago.

‘Having met his family, I know that no one can truly understand the torture and pain they have endured for two years and my thoughts are with them. My thoughts are with Yossi Sharabi’s family, who are still waiting for news.

‘I reiterate my gratitude for the tireless diplomatic efforts of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye. It is now crucial that we work together to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, and that is what I will focus on today in Egypt.

‘Commitment from all parties to this plan will be essential to ending the war and laying the foundations for a sustainable path to long-term peace. ‘The UK will support the next critical phase of negotiations to ensure the peace plan is implemented.’

Britain played a ‘key role’ in securing the Gaza ceasefire, Education Minister Bridget Phillipson said in a television interview yesterday.

However, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he was ‘delusional’ and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel flatly denied this claim.

Mr Witkoff shared on X this morning: ‘I would like to recognize the vital role the UK has played in assisting and co-ordinating the efforts in Israel that have brought us to this historic day.

‘I especially want to recognize the incredible contributions and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.’

Mr. Powell is understood to have been speaking to Mr. Witkoff almost every day.

Sir Keir is understood to want to take advantage of the Northern Ireland peace process, which Mr Powell worked on as Sir Tony Blair’s private secretary, at No10 in talks on the ‘decommissioning’ of Hamas.

Before the Egypt summit, Trump went to Israel to meet with hostage families and speak in parliament.

Before leaving, he said that many people in both Israel and Arab countries had “cheered” the agreement and that “everyone was surprised and excited and we were going to have a great time.”

In interviews yesterday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said Britain played a ‘key role’ in securing the Gaza ceasefire

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he was ‘delusional’ and Benjamin Netanyahu’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, flatly denied this claim

Steve Witkoff praises Britain’s ‘vital role’ and singles out under-fire national security adviser Jonathan Powell for ‘incredible contributions’

Speaking to reporters on air, Mr Trump said the conflict was ‘over’, adding: ‘I think people are tired of it.’

He also stated that he hoped to visit Gaza one day, telling traveling journalists: ‘I want to at least set foot there.’

Sir Keir would encourage those at the Sharm El Sheikh summit to build momentum to deliver the second phase of plans to end the conflict.

He was expected to heap praise on the diplomatic efforts of Mr Trump and other negotiators and pledge that Britain will play a key role in rebuilding Gaza.