During the recent Nato summit held in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented Sir Keir Starmer with a personalised revolver, complete with live ammunition. The firearm, which features the prime minister’s name engraved upon it, was part of a series of similar gifts distributed to each national leader in attendance at the event.
Despite the gift, the revolver has not been transported back to the United Kingdom and currently remains under the care of British officials in Turkey. While President Erdogan waived export controls specifically for the gift, the item was left in the country because importing a live firearm into the UK is illegal. It is anticipated that the weapon will be decommissioned to render it incapable of firing live ammunition before it is eventually returned.
Downing Street has confirmed that no official photographs of the revolver have been released. Beyond the exchange of gifts, the summit served as a platform for Sir Keir to sign a new defence agreement with President Erdogan, a move intended to facilitate closer intelligence sharing between the two nations.
Reflecting on the gathering, Sir Keir expressed his belief that the alliance emerged more united and stronger. Speaking after the summit, Sir Keir said he believed the alliance was stronger and more united following the gathering. He noted, “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.” This event marks Sir Keir’s final major international engagement following his announcement last month that he would be resigning.
