Britain’s prime minister was not invited to his inauguration, Downing Street said today, but the leader of the far-right Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, plans to go to Washington on Monday.
When asked about the matter, Starmer’s spokesman said it was “customary for foreign governments to be formally represented by their ambassadors” at the inauguration of US presidents. He noted that Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Karen Pearce, would represent the United Kingdom.
The spokesman recalled that Starmer had congratulated Trump on his re-election, that the two leaders spoke by phone this month and agreed to meet “at the earliest opportunity”.
By tradition, foreign leaders are not invited to presidential inaugurations. But Trump has invited some, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron were not invited.
Farage announced earlier this month that he would be going to Washington. Well-known figures from far-right European parties will also attend, such as former French presidential candidate Eric Zemur, MEP Marion Marechal and Tino Hroupala, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been invited but will not attend as his passport has been confiscated by the courts and he has been banned from leaving the country as part of an investigation into a planned “coup” aimed at preventing the return of his political rival , of the left-wing president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, in power.
Source: RES/MPE
