Sir Keir Starmer participated in Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, marking one of his final international engagements as Prime Minister.
He met British troops involved in the ceremonial events in the French capital, before observing the parade alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. This diplomatic appearance precedes his imminent departure from office.
Sir Keir is set to be succeeded as prime minister by Andy Burnham on Monday, after the Greater Manchester mayor secured enough support to make a Labour leadership challenge mathematically impossible.
The Prime Minister and other European leaders watched a military parade and flypast in Paris.
Troops from the Grenadier Guards marched alongside the French Garde Republicaine.
The celebrations follow Sir Keir’s final “coalition of the willing” summit on Monday, at which fellow leaders Mr Macron, Mr Zelensky and Germany’s Friedrich Merz paid tribute to his impact on the world stage.
French president Mr Macron told Sir Keir that “we owe you a lot, Prime Minister”, while Mr Merz, the German chancellor, said he would “phone you occasionally to get your opinion on this or that”.
Mr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, thanked Sir Keir for his “constant, steadfast support”, which the Prime Minister said would continue under his successor.
That successor is now guaranteed to be Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, who secured the backing of 349 Labour MPs on Monday.
With only 54 Labour MPs yet to nominate someone for the leadership, it is now mathematically impossible for another candidate to secure the 81 supporters necessary to mount a late challenge to succeed Sir Keir.
But Mr Burnham will only be officially confirmed as the new leader on Friday, and will formally take over from Sir Keir three days later on July 20.
Despite being the only candidate, Mr Burnham took part in an online hustings with Labour MPs on Monday.
Party sources said he used the event to set out his priorities for the country, including devolving power to communities, improving growth across the UK and tackling the cost of living.
He also paid tribute to Sir Keir for delivering on his promise of a Hillsborough Law, which is expected to clear the Commons on Tuesday after a deal to bring spies within its “duty of candour”.
And he pledged to lead from the front on changing the culture within Labour, promising to be more accountable and accessible to MPs and to appoint cabinet ministers from across the party.
