In brief
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented Sir Keir Starmer with a personalised revolver and live ammunition as a diplomatic gift. The firearm is engraved with the Prime Minister's name and was one of a series of gifts to leaders of all participating nations. The revolver remains in Turkey and is expected to be decommissioned before it can be safely returned to the United Kingdom due to UK import restrictions. Starmer endorsed a defence agreement with Erdoğan that will enhance intelligence sharing between the UK and Turkey, marking the final major summit before his forthcoming resignation.
Turkish President Presents Revolver to UK Leader
Sir Keir Starmer was given a personalised revolver with live ammunition by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit.
The firearm, engraved with the Prime Minister's name, was one of a series of similar gifts presented to the leaders of each country who attended the event in Ankara.
Starmer's revolver has not been brought back to the UK and remains with British officials in Turkey. It is expected to be decommissioned before it is returned, meaning it will no longer be capable of firing live ammunition.
Erdogan waived export controls on the gift but the weapon was left in Turkey because it is illegal to import a live firearm into the UK.
Downing Street has not released a picture of the revolver. At the summit, Starmer signed a defence agreement with Erdoğan which will pave the way for closer intelligence sharing between the countries.
Speaking after the summit, Starmer said he believed the alliance was stronger and more united following the gathering: “This has been a good summit. We achieved what we wanted to achieve, which is unity. So important we have that, particularly with the conflicts going on in Ukraine and the conflicts in Iran.” He added that it will be his last major international event before announcing his resignation last month.
