The Labour leader is said to have declined a generous offer from the King. (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer declined a generous offer from King Charles when the pair met for the first time following the Labour leader's election victory, a columnist claims.
Sir Keir had an audience with The King at Buckingham Palace on the day of Labour's victory in the July 4th election that ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
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According to Daily Mail columnist Ephraim Hardcastle, the monarch offered Sir Keir "a snifter of whisky, I hear, thinking the new PM might enjoy his audience more after a restorative dram.
But according to Hardcastle, Starmer "politely declined the offer".
"He's rarely associated with frivolity," he continued. "At Labour's election victory party at Tate Modern, guests were given a voucher for one free drink.
The columnist writes that Old Labour "was more fun" with, "old soaks" boasting that "dinner invitations to its annual seaside conferences read '7 for 9pm' – leaving adequate time for refreshment."
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Sir Keir and his wife Lady Starmer leaving Buckingham Palace after the meeting. (Image: Getty)
While the actual meeting couldn't be filmed, Buckingham Palace shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse video at the time of Sir Keir arriving to meet the King before being appointed the UK's new Prime Minister.
The clip shows Starmer arriving at the Palace and shaking hands with the King before sitting down across from him after Labour won 411 seats at the ballot box.
The two men exchanged a few words as His Majesty welcomed his new Prime Minister, the third of his reign for far, since being formally crowned in May 2023.
The King made a quip about Sir Keir being up all night as the election results came in, saying: "You must be utterly exhausted, and on your knees, anyway, you are here."
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Keir Starmer's first audience with King Charles
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"You'll have to get to grip with everything straight away", he added, to which the Prime Minister replied: "A quick change over". "To say the least," the King responded.
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His Majesty then continued: "Having to get to grips with everything straight away.. must be exhausting."
Their private audience saw the King inviting Sir Keir to form a new government during a meeting in the Audience Room, which he accepted.
As is custom, at the end of their meeting Lady Victoria Starmer was presented to the King as she and her husband prepared to move into No. 10 Downing Street.