Prime Minister to host European leaders at first major UK-led summit of his premiership

More than 45 European leaders will converge on Oxfordshire next week to discuss some of the most pressing generational issues facing Europe.    

The Prime Minister will welcome leaders from across the continent to Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, for the European Political Community (EPC) meeting on Thursday [18 July].

Today’s threats are generationally challenging, and the Prime Minister is clear that the United Kingdom is always stronger when working in close collaboration with others. The UK government will use the summit to discuss closer collaboration to tackle illegal immigration and greater security cooperation with European counterparts to keep Britain safe.  

For the first time at a meeting of the EPC, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe will be in attendance, demonstrating the importance of unity in response to the arc of conflict and instability inside and near Europe’s borders that affects the UK and the continent’s interests equally.     

The PM wants to rebuild relationships with key European partners so ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister will host the Irish Taoiseach, Simon Harris, for his first official inward visit since becoming Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will also hold a bilateral dinner with the French President in Blenheim Palace after the summit.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:   

Europe is at the forefront of some of the greatest challenges of our time.

Russia’s barbaric war continues to reverberate across our continent, while vile smuggling gangs traffic innocent people on perilous journeys that too often end in tragedy.

We cannot be spectators in this chapter of history. We must do more and go further, not just for the courageous Ukrainians on the frontlines, or those being trafficked from country-to-country, but so our future generations look back with pride at what our continent achieved together. 

I said I would change the way the UK engages with our European partners, working collaboratively to drive forward progress on these generational challenges, and that work starts at the European Political Community meeting on Thursday.

The EPC meeting comes at a vital time Ukraine, as Russian aggression intensifies over the summer. The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK’s support for Ukraine is ironclad, and he will use the meeting as a platform to push for continued international military and financial support for Ukraine, ahead of what is expected to be a difficult winter.  

There will be an opening plenary, followed by three roundtables on migration, energy and connectivity, and defending and securing democracy, before ending with a closing plenary.  

Sustainability is at the heart of summit planning, with 80% of the fruits and vegetables being served to delegates coming from Blenheim’s gardens. Showcasing the best of British at Blenheim, attendees of the summit will enjoy Oxfordshire strawberries and cream, alongside more than 800 scones being served during afternoon tea.  

Blenheim Palace, which was used by MI5 from 1940 to 1945 after their headquarters was damaged in the Blitz during the Second World War, has been transformed to accommodate more than 450 delegates.  

This is the fourth EPC meeting since the grouping was founded in October 2022. Previous meetings, hosted in the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Spain, have been instrumental in uniting Europe to support Ukraine, forging cooperation on energy security and tackling the shared challenge of illegal migration.