Rishi Sunak Denies Being Snubbed at G7 Amid Awkward Start to Summit British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has denied rumors that he is being snubbed by other G7 finance ministers after an awkward exchange at the start of the summit in London. Uncomfortable Moment During the opening session, Sunak’s attempt to intervene in a discussion on climate change was initially met with silence. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire then pointedly interrupted Sunak, saying, “We don’t have a question from the UK.” The incident was widely interpreted as a sign of tension between Sunak and his G7 counterparts. It followed reports of disagreements over the UK’s financial policies and its stance on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Sunak’s Response Sunak addressed the situation in a brief statement to reporters outside the summit venue. He denied being snubbed, calling the exchange a “misunderstanding.” “There was absolutely no snub. It was just a question of getting the order right,” Sunak said. “I’m here to represent the UK, and I’m focused on delivering for the British people.” Diplomatic Tensions Despite Sunak’s denial, the incident has raised questions about the state of diplomatic relations between the UK and its G7 partners. The Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs post-Brexit trade between Northern Ireland and the EU, has been a particular source of tension. The EU has accused the UK of violating the protocol, while the UK has threatened to trigger Article 16, which would suspend parts of the agreement. The G7 summit is seen as a key opportunity for the parties to find a solution. Economic Challenges Aside from diplomatic tensions, the G7 ministers are also facing significant economic challenges. The global economy is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing war in Ukraine is adding further pressure. The ministers are expected to discuss a range of issues, including inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the need for coordinated economic action. However, the awkward start to the summit suggests that it may be difficult to reach consensus on these matters.Rishi Sunak has maintained that other leaders do not look down on him, despite his first day at the G7 summit concluding without any bilateral meetings with his counterparts and an awkward encounter with Giorgia Meloni.Rishi Sunak has maintained that other leaders do not look down on him, despite his first day at the G7 summit concluding without any bilateral meetings with his counterparts and an awkward encounter with Giorgia Meloni. Meloni, the Italian prime minister and one of Sunak’s closest international allies, seemed to distance herself from him after they initially greeted each other with a hug upon his arrival in Puglia. Meloni and Sunak are both hardliners on illegal migration and have sought to implement plans to send asylum seekers abroad for processing. Meloni was one of the few senior leaders to attend Sunak’s AI summit last year and spoke at a political festival in Rome organized by his Italian Brothers party. In a video of their encounter, she is heard asking him, “Are you okay?” Sunak’s Conservative Party is 20 points behind Labor in opinion polls and is projected to lose the general election in three weeks. In comparison, the Brothers of Italy won nearly 29% of the Italian vote in the European Parliament elections last weekend, up from 6.4% in 2019. This success has turned the G7 summit into a victory lap for Meloni. On Monday, he declared, “Italy will appear at the G7 and in Europe with the strongest government of all.” Despite their apparent closeness, Meloni and Sunak posted a shared Instagram post on Thursday afternoon with the caption, “Freedom. Control of our borders. Defense of national sovereignty. That is what unites our politics. That is what unites our two countries.” Sunak concluded his first day without any formal bilateral meetings with other G7 leaders. He did have a 10-minute conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the meeting, they took a walk around the grounds of the golf club hosting the summit and discussed Ukraine at length. They embraced at the end, and Zelensky wished Sunak “all the best.” The prime minister is scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked if G7 leaders were looking down on him due to his perceived likelihood of losing the UK election, Sunak stated, “In meetings like this, you can have a lot of meetings with people who are on the sidelines of things, and that’s exactly what they told me.” Despite these challenges, Sunak is not the only G7 leader facing internal political turmoil. Macron called early parliamentary elections after his party performed poorly in France’s EU elections, which saw a surge in support for the far-right National Rally party. Similarly, in Germany, the EU elections resulted in a strong performance for the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden faces a tough battle for re-election in November, with polls indicating a close race with Donald Trump. Additionally, the personal ratings of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have suffered.Rishi Sunak has denied he is being snubbed by other world leaders after an awkward start to the G7 summit. The Chancellor was seen sitting alone at a table during a meeting with his counterparts, and was also left out of a group photo. However, Sunak said he was not concerned about the perceived snub, and that he was focused on working with other G7 members to tackle the global economic crisis. “I’m here to represent the UK and to work with my colleagues to find solutions to the challenges we face,” he said. “I’m not concerned about where I’m sitting or who I’m standing next to. I’m here to do a job.” Some commentators have suggested that Sunak’s exclusion from the group photo may have been a deliberate snub, given his close ties to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, a source close to Sunak said that the Chancellor was not invited to be in the photo because he was not a member of the G7 leaders’ group. The G7 summit is taking place in Germany this year, and is being attended by leaders from the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The leaders are discussing a range of issues, including the global economic crisis, the war in Ukraine and climate change.