Starmer to join Macron on Armistice Day in Paris to show European solidarity
GuardianNOV 20 2024
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has attended Armistice Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with French Pres. Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, the first UK leader to do so since Winston Churchill in 1944.UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has attended Armistice Day with French Pres. Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, the first UK leader to do so since former Prime Minister Winston Churchill joined General Charles de Gaulle in 1944.
The Prime Minister's Office stated that his attendance in Paris for the 106th anniversary of Armistice came following a "personal invitation" from Pres. Macron, and noted the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the two countries.The Prime Minister's Office stated that his attendance in Paris for the 106th anniversary of Armistice came following a "personal invitation" from Pres. Macron, and noted the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, and the 80th anniversary of the beginning of liberating Nazi-occupied France.
The two laid wreaths beneath statues of Churchill and former French Prime Minister Georges Clemencau, before laying a wreath and relighting the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
While Macron and Starmer's Armistice Day meeting may be a successful media stunt, it is unlikely outside of the exchange of superficial pleasantries the event will ensure anything meaningful change in the UK's relationship with France and the EU. Migrants continue to illegally enter both the UK and France at record rates, while Europe remains unprepared to effectively defend itself if Trump decides to pull US support for NATO and Ukraine.