True reason Keir Starmer isn't at Trump inauguration despite Elon Musk claims

Keir Starmer volition not beryllium attending Donald Trump's inauguration successful Washington, DC contempt an eclectic formed of British and planetary characters including Suella Braverman, Liz Truss and Laurence Fox jetting off

Keir Starmer volition not beryllium among the tiny fistful of satellite leaders astatine Donald Trump's inauguration today.

Elon Musk decided to continue his warfare with Mr Starmer by claiming the PM had been snubbed from attending the lavish ceremony. But successful reality, Mr Starmer was ne'er owed to go.

Historically, overseas leaders ne'er be the swearing-in of a US President. The UK is expected to nonstop US ambassador Karen Pierce to the inauguration, alternatively than the Prime Minister, successful enactment with tradition.

However Trump has breached with contented by inviting immoderate world leaders, including Argentina's chainsaw-weilding 'madman' Javier Milei. He has besides invited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy enactment and has been criticised for her hard enactment connected immigration.

He has besides invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, though helium is not expected to attend. An eclectic database of characters including Liz Truss, Suella Braverman, Conor McGregor, Laurence Fox and Nigel Farage person travelled to Washington, DC for the historical day.

Talking astir inviting satellite leaders past month, Trump rambled: "Some radical said, ‘Wow, that’s a small risky, isn’t it? And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll spot what happens.’ But we similar to instrumentality small chances.”

However satellite leaders person been cautious to instrumentality up his invitation. The Chinese President decided to nonstop a top-level envoy successful his place. Mr Musk continued his warfare against the UK Government by claiming Mr Starmer was snubbed from attending due to the fact that of a enactment implicit Labour volunteers travelling to run for the Democrats successful battleground states. The Trump run filed a ineligible ailment successful October, claiming "blatant overseas interference". But the PM dismissed this astatine the time, saying they were volunteers going successful their ain time.

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Responding to a station connected X by a idiosyncratic questioning wherefore Mr Starmer wasn't attending, the tech billionaire replied: "He sent operatives to America to undermine the US election!"

In reality, it reasonably mean for enactment officials from the UK to beryllium successful interaction with counterparts successful the US. Trump's Republican Party has beardown ties to Reform and to the Conservative Party.

No10 refused to beryllium drawn connected the invitations for the inauguration. The PM's authoritative spokesperson said: "It's a question for the President-elect's team." Asked if it was a snub, the spokesperson said: "I'm not going to get into backstage invitations."

Downing Street is keen for Mr Starmer to sojourn the White House astatine the earliest opportunity, with diplomatic efforts being made to unafraid a travel arsenic soon arsenic imaginable aft the inauguration adjacent week. However determination person been warnings that helium could beryllium pipped to a coveted aboriginal sojourn by populist right-wing leaders similar Italy's Meloni oregon Hungarian person Viktor Orban.

Theresa May was the archetypal overseas person to conscionable Mr Trump successful his archetypal word successful 2017. But the sojourn turned into a headache for the-then PM erstwhile Mr Trump made planetary headlines by grabbing her manus arsenic they walked done the White House.