Starmer awarded French Legion d'Honneur, becomes first serving UK PM to receive honour

Sir Keir Starmer has become the first serving UK prime minister to be awarded France's highest honour, the Legion d'Honneur.

• Starmer received the award at the end of a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group formed with Macron to support Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion.
• Macron praised Starmer's "decency" and expressed gratitude for his commitments to UK, European security, Ukraine, and the bilateral relationship.
• Ukrainian President Zelensky and German Chancellor Merz thanked Starmer at the event.
• The award is given to about 2,000 French and 200 foreign nationals annually; Churchill previously received the Grand Croix rank.