Sir Keir Starmer, the outgoing prime minister of the United Kingdom, has been awarded France's highest honor, the Legion d'honneur. He is the first serving UK prime minister to receive this distinction.
The award was presented by French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing," a group co-founded by Starmer and Macron to support Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Macron praised Starmer for his "decency" and expressed gratitude for his "commitments for… the security of Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship." He also noted Starmer's qualities as a "reliable and friendly partner."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were among those who paid tribute to Starmer at the ceremony, held at the French presidential palace.
The Legion of Honour, established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, is awarded annually to approximately 2,000 French citizens and 200 foreign nationals for outstanding merits. Past recipients have included figures such as Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Dwight Eisenhower, and Volodymyr Zelensky. The honor has also been awarded to controversial figures, including Vladimir Putin and Muammar Gaddafi. Former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega is the only foreign leader known to have been stripped of the honor, and French authorities withdrew it from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein following accusations of sexual misconduct.