Sir Keir Starmer to give Joe Biden an Arsenal shirt

Sir Keir Starmer will give Joe Biden an Arsenal shirt when the pair meet at the White House. The Prime Minister has brought a red shirt emblazoned with the name “Biden” for his meeting with the US President.

The number on the football shirt is 46, because Mr Biden is the 46th President.

A senior Downing Street official said: “It’s his team and he thought it would make a personal gift.” Sir Keir, who is attending a Nato summit in Washington, is a season ticket holder at the north London club.

He said he hopes to be kept up to date in Nato meetings later about the score when England play the Netherlands in the European Championship semi-final.

Sir Keir also gave an Arsenal shirt to French President Emmanuel Macron when he was in opposition.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had also given Mr Biden a framed copy of the original Atlantic Charter which led to the formation of Nato, with amendments by the then Labour premier Clement Attlee.

Other former holders of the 46 shirt for Arsenal include goalkeeper Dejan Iliev, German attacking midfielder Thomas Eisfeld and English midfielder Henri Lansbury.

Speaking before the semi-final match between England and the Netherlands, the Prime Minister wished the squad well. He said his advice to manager Gareth Southgate was: “Win!”

He added that although he would not be able to watch the whole of the match against the Netherlands, he hoped aides would pass him notes during his meetings with world leaders.

He told reporters: “I understand our phones are all taken off us when we go into the Council, so I’ve no doubt we’ll be passed lots of notes with really important information about the summit, and one or two of those notes hopefully will be an update on the score, because I’m not going to be able to get it otherwise.

“I’ve sent a message to the team, obviously I wish them well, I want them to win, and let’s hope they can do it tomorrow.”

Asked about Bukayo Saka’s dramatic quarter-final goal which equalised the score against Switzerland, he said: “That was classic Bukayo. He cuts in from the right and that shot is absolutely classic – inside of the post – I’ve seen it so many times.

“And I’d remind you, England have not missed a penalty under a Labour government in 2024.”