Sir Keir Starmer has been mocked after he awkwardly thought Donald Trump was inviting him to the stage to speak.
The UK Prime Minister was lined up behind the US President as he spoke to the world’s media in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, taking time to praise leaders for their involvement in peace deals.
Thanking a list of countries for their work towards various international conflicts, Mr Trump ended with the United Kingdom, with Sir Keir receiving a welcome from the US leader who referred to him as ‘his friend’.
The PM awkwardly appeared to mistake this as an invitation on to the stage as he stepped up to have his moment in the spotlight before it was cut short by his US counterpart.
Viewers have taken to social media to mock Sir Keir for the embarrassing blunder, branding the interaction an ‘epic’ piece of entertainment.
One person wrote on X: ‘LMAO. Trump just invited Keir Starmer to the stage, letting him think he was inviting him to speak, only to spurn him and send him to the back! I love it!’
Another added: ‘It was epic how Trump embarrassed Keir Starmer on the world stage… Trump never forgets… EPIC!’
Sir Keir Starmer was invited up to the front of the stage by Donald Trump as he addressed the world’s media at the Gaza summit in Egypt
In an awkard moment, the Prime Minister was not allowed his moment in the spotlight, as Mr Trump stepped in front and continued speaking
Viewers have taken to social media to mock Sir Keir for the embarrassing blunder, branding the interaction ‘epic’
A third penned: ‘Trump embarrassed you on stage Keir.’
In the video, Trump finishes his list of countries, before asking: ‘Where is United Kingdom, where is my friend, Starmer?’
The Prime Minister replied: ‘I am right behind you as usual.’
The President then invited Sir Keir to the stage, saying: ‘Come up here, is everything going good?’ Starmer awkwardly replied, ‘very good’ as he turned toward the microphone.
The US leader then stepped in front of Starmer and continued his speech. He said: ‘It is very nice that you are here. These people all came on like 20-minute notice and I think it is fantastic.’
Sir Keir looked around awkwardly before slowly scuttling back to his place on the stage, sharing a faint smile with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The embarrassing move came just moments after the US President admonished leaders, saying: ‘I have known so many of you for so long. You’re friends of mine, you great people.
‘I have a couple I don’t like in particular but I won’t tell you who. I have a few actually I don’t like at all but you will never find out who they are. Maybe you will.’
But despite the humiliation, Sir Keir later praised the US President for his work at securing a peace deal and said the UK can play a role in decommissioning Hamas’s weaponry as well as monitoring the ceasefire.
Sir Keir looked around awkwardly before slowly scuttling back to his place on the stage
Sir Keir joined a queue of world leaders who waited to shake Donald Trump’s hand at a Gaza peace summit
Speaking after the summit, the Prime Minister said: ‘Today is a really historic day, so we do need to start there, and real credit to President Trump and the other leaders who got us to this place.
‘But you’re absolutely right. The challenge now is tomorrow and implementation. And therefore yesterday is historic, but what happens tomorrow really matters.
‘And that’s why what I’ve been discussing with leaders all day is what part can we play, and we, the United Kingdom in particular can play a part in monitoring the ceasefire, but also decommissioning the capability of Hamas and their weaponry, drawing on our experience in Northern Ireland.
‘So the question today has already moved to how do we implement, how do we make sure this moves forward, and it’s really important that we keep that focus. We mustn’t have any missteps now.’
The PM has been accused of piggybacking on Mr Trump’s Gaza breakthrough.
He hailed the ‘tireless diplomatic efforts’ of Mr Trump on Monday morning, crediting him with securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.
But Sir Keir was accused of only travelling to Egypt for a ‘photo op’ after risking derailing the process by recognising Palestine as a state last month.
Tories compared the PM to former Chelsea footballer John Terry, who changed into full kit to lift the Champions League trophy despite not playing in the final.
The Prime Minister travelled to Egypt on Sunday for the signing ceremony
Sir Keir (right) met Emmanuel Macron (left) and Mahmud Abbas (centre) in Sharm el-Sheikh today
The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy earlier tried to cool tensions after the US ambassador to Israel branded a Cabinet minister ‘delusional’ for suggesting the UK played a ‘key role’.
Starmer was also challenged on Tony Blair’s role on the Gaza peace board, stating it’s ‘for others to decide’ if he forms part of Gaza’s new governing.
A peace plan floated by the White House last month listed Sir Tony as a member of the proposed board.
Starmer said: ‘I think the makeup of the peace board is still being discussed. For my part, I have to say, I’m much more interested in the practical steps.’
Pushed on the question about whether Blair should be involved, Starmer replied: ‘That’s for others to decide. Tony Blair was a great leader of our country, and would make a huge contribution.
‘But I’m not focused on which particular people sit on which particular board. I’m focused on what do we need to do tomorrow, and I mean tomorrow, to make sure this is implemented.’
The PM added that there are ‘discussions going on’ about who will be on the board – but he said he has not put himself forward.
Steve Witkoff praised Britain’s ‘vital role’ – singling out under-fire national security adviser Jonathan Powell for his ‘incredible input’.
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-hosted by Mr Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, comes as part of efforts to secure the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has been holding since Friday.
Israel said just after 6am that Hamas had released the first seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has forged a close relationship with Mr Trump, was a surprise attendee at the Sharm-el-Sheikh summit
Mr Trump, pictured with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, travelled to the Middle East to mark the peace agreement
Memes of Sir Keir as John Terry were circulating on social media
In a statement, Sir Keir said: ‘I share the deep feeling of relief as Avinatan Or and other hostages are released today. But this is also a stark reminder of the treatment that he has been subject to at the hands of Hamas, and the atrocities that shook the world two years ago.
‘Having met his family, I know that no one can truly understand the torture and agony they suffered for two drawn out years and my thoughts are with them. My thoughts are also with the family of Yossi Sharabi, who are still waiting for news.
‘I reiterate my thanks for the tireless diplomatic efforts of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye. It is now crucial that we work together to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, and that will be my focus in Egypt today.
‘Commitment to this plan from all parties will be essential to ending the war and building the foundations for a sustainable path to a long-term peace. The UK will support the crucial next stage of talks to ensure the implementation of the peace plan.’
In TV interviews yesterday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the UK played a ‘key role’ in securing the Gaza ceasefire.
However, the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said she was ‘delusional’, and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, bluntly rejected the claim.
Mr Witkoff posted on X this morning: ‘I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel.
‘In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.’
It is understood Mr Powell has been speaking to Mr Witkoff almost daily.
Sir Keir is understood to want to draw on the Northern Ireland peace process – which Mr Powell worked on as chief of staff to Sir Tony Blair in No10 – in talks on ‘decommissioning’ Hamas.
Ahead of the Egyptian summit, Mr Trump travelled to Israel to meet with hostage families and address the parliament there.
He said before his departure that many in both Israel and Arab countries were ‘cheering’ the agreement and that ‘everybody’s amazed and they’re thrilled and we’re going to have an amazing time’.
In interviews yesterday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the UK played a ‘key role’ in securing the Gaza ceasefire
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said she was ‘delusional’, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, bluntly rejected the claim
Steve Witkoff praised Britain’s ‘vital role’ – singling out under-fire national security adviser Jonathan Powell for his ‘incredible input’
Speaking to reporters while in the air, Mr Trump deemed the conflict ‘over’, adding: ‘I think people are tired of it.’
He also said he hoped to one day visit Gaza, telling travelling reporters: ‘I’d like to put my feet on it, at least.’
Sir Keir was due to urge those at the Sharm El Sheikh summit to build on the momentum to bring about the second phase of plans to end the conflict.
He was expected to heap praise on Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of the other negotiators, as well as commit the UK to playing a key role in rebuilding Gaza.
