"Keir Starmer has paid to keep a personalised silver necklace given to him by Donald and Melania Trump, transparency records show. The necklace was the only gift Starmer chose to keep after he hosted the US president for a historic second state visit in September. The Trumps also gave the prime minister a golf club and a set of silver cufflinks, both personalised, but these were retained by the Cabinet Office."
"Under government rules, ministers cannot keep official gifts worth more than 140 unless they pay the difference between 140 and the gift's value. The value of the necklace has not been disclosed, and Downing Street declined to give details. During the state visit, in which the Trumps were hosted at Windsor Castle, Starmer gave the president a ministerial red box embossed with the presidential seal and title, and the first lady a silk scarf designed by Ukrainian children."
"Though largely symbolic, the gifts exchanged between prime ministers and US presidents have triggered controversy in the past. When Gordon Brown visited Washington in 2009, he presented Barack Obama with an ornamental pen holder crafted from the timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet. Obama's comparatively generic gift to Brown, a DVD box set of 25 classic American films, was seen as a diplomatic blunder."
Keir Starmer paid to retain a personalised silver necklace gifted by Donald and Melania Trump after their second state visit in September. The necklace was the only present he chose to keep; a personalised golf club and a set of silver cufflinks presented to the prime minister were retained by the Cabinet Office. A pair of cowboy boots given to Starmer's wife, Victoria, is also being held by the department. Government rules bar ministers from keeping official gifts worth more than £140 unless they pay the difference; the necklace's value has not been disclosed. During the visit Starmer presented the president with a ministerial red box embossed with the presidential seal and the first lady with a silk scarf designed by Ukrainian children. Gift exchanges between leaders have previously provoked controversy, including incidents involving Gordon Brown and Barack Obama and Qatar's costly aircraft gift to Donald Trump.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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