Sir Keir Starmer has become the first serving UK prime minister to receive France’s highest honour, the Legion d’Honneur, in a ceremony that underscored his role in rallying European support for Ukraine. The award was presented by President Emmanuel Macron at the close of a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing – the group of nations Starmer and Macron helped establish after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Macron praised the outgoing prime minister’s “decency” and expressed gratitude for his “commitments for obviously your country, but the security of Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship”. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were among those who paid tribute at the event in the French presidential palace.
“Keir Starmer becomes first serving UK PM to receive France's Legion d'Honneur, with Macron praising his 'decency' and Ukraine support.”
“I wanted to reiterate my gratitude and the gratitude of the French people, obviously for your years as prime minister,” Macron said. “I have to say, all the human qualities that we learn to appreciate, all those remain very important to all of us. We found with you a very reliable and friendly partner.”
The Legion d’Honneur, established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, has a controversial history. While recipients include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Dwight Eisenhower and Zelensky himself, the honour has also been awarded to Vladimir Putin, Muammar Gaddafi, Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco. Only one foreign leader – former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega – has been stripped of the award, and under Macron, Harvey Weinstein had his decoration withdrawn after sexual assault allegations.
Starmer is due to leave office next week, making the award a parting recognition of his premiership’s focus on European security and the Ukraine war effort. Every year, about 2,000 French people and 200 foreign nationals receive the order for “outstanding merits”.