Keir Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive France’s Légion d’honneur

Keir Starmer has become the first UK prime minister to be presented with the Légion d’honneur by a French president, in recognition of his work with France on the security of Europe.

Emmanuel Macron awarded the historic honour to Starmer for his leadership in setting up the coalition of the willing – a group of countries chaired by France and the UK that have pledged to support Ukraine – at a critical moment for Europe in early 2025.

The only other British prime minister to receive a similar award – at a higher level, the Grand-Croix of the Légion d’honneur – was Winston Churchill in 1958 in recognition of his leadership and close ties to France during the second world war.

Awarding the honour to Starmer underlines the significant shift from Macron’s more testy relationships with some previous prime ministers, the French leader having frequently clashed with the Conservatives Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss over Brexit.

On one of his final engagements on the international stage, Starmer was in Paris to attend Bastille Day celebrations, meeting British troops involved in the ceremonial events before watching the parade alongside Macron and others including Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At Starmer’s final coalition of the willing summit on Monday, Macron, Zelenskyy and Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, paid tribute to his role on the world stage, with his approach to international affairs seen as one of the strengths of his time in office.