Revolver left in Turkey because importing live firearm illegal in UK
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a personalized revolver with live ammunition as a gift during the NATO summit in Ankara, the BBC reported Wednesday. The firearm, engraved with Starmer’s name, was one of a series of similar gifts presented by Erdogan to every head of state attending the summit.
Starmer’s revolver has not been brought back to the UK and remains with British officials in Turkey, the BBC said. Erdogan waived export controls on the gift, but because UK law prohibits importing a live firearm, the revolver was left in Turkey.
Downing Street has not released a picture of the revolver, according to the report. The firearm is expected to be decommissioned before it is returned, meaning it will no longer be capable of firing live ammunition.
The gift occurred on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Summit, held July 7–8 at Turkey’s Presidential Complex in Ankara. It was Starmer’s final major international event after he announced his resignation last month, making way for incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
At the summit, Starmer signed a defence agreement with Erdogan that will pave the way for closer intelligence sharing between the UK and Turkey. Speaking after the summit, Starmer said the alliance was “stronger and more united” following the gathering.
“This has been a good summit. We achieved what we wanted to achieve, which is unity,” Starmer told reporters. “So important we have that, particularly with the conflicts going on in Ukraine and the conflicts in Iran.”
Starmer also signed a separate £37 billion ($50 billion) long-range missile programme with 12 NATO allies during the summit, as MSI previously reported.