During the NATO summit held in Ankara on July 8, 2026, Sir Keir Starmer was presented with a personalised revolver engraved with his name by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This firearm, accompanied by live ammunition, was part of a series of similar gifts given to leaders of attending countries.
Due to UK laws prohibiting the import of live firearms, the revolver has not been brought back to the UK and remains with British officials in Turkey. It is expected to be decommissioned before any potential return, rendering it incapable of firing live rounds. President Erdogan waived export controls on the gift.
At the summit, Sir Keir also signed a defence agreement with Erdogan aimed at fostering closer intelligence sharing between the UK and Turkey. Speaking after the event, Starmer expressed confidence in the strengthened unity of the alliance, highlighting its importance amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
This summit marks Sir Keir's last major international engagement following his resignation announcement last month.
A notable statement from the summit declared, "This has been a good summit. We achieved what we wanted to achieve, which is unity."
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