Rishi Sunak announces European summit will be held at Blenheim Palace in July

The Prime Minister will host European leaders at Blenheim Palace in the summer for talks on support for Ukraine and preventing unauthorised migration.

Rishi Sunak has announced that the European Political Community (EPC) summit will be held on July 18.

A date in spring had been expected but reports suggested Mr Sunak was delaying confirming when the summit would be because he wanted to hold the door open for a potential general election in May.

He last week ruled out holding a Westminster election to coincide with May’s local contests.

The Prime Minister has said that his working assumption is that he will go to the country in the second half of the year.

Announcing the summit date on Tuesday, Mr Sunak said: “I am delighted that the UK will host the next European Political Community meeting at the historic Blenheim Palace.

“It is an important forum for co-operation across the whole of Europe on the issues that are affecting us all, threatening our security and prosperity.

“From putting our full support behind Ukraine to stopping the scourge of people smuggling and illegal migration, under the UK’s leadership the meeting will bring together our European friends, partners, and neighbours to address our shared challenges.”

Mr Sunak’s Conservative UK Government is currently looking to push through its hardline proposal to deport migrants arriving via small boats in the Channel to Rwanda.

Other European countries, such as Italy, have alternative immigration policies that will see asylum seekers processed by a partner country.

Downing Street expects that the gathering at the Oxfordshire birthplace of war leader Sir Winston Churchill will see about 50 leaders from across the continent meet for discussions in July.

The EPC was a post-Brexit project that was pushed by French president Emmanuel Macron in the wake of Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

European leaders first met in October 2022 in Prague, Czechia, as part of the project, and last met in Grenada, Spain, in October 2023.

The UK was announced as hosting the fourth summit following the first gathering almost 18 months ago.

At the community’s fourth meeting in Britain, No 10 said Mr Sunak, who has looked to make close bonds with Mr Macron since taking office, hopes to make progress on work to “grapple with the huge challenge of illegal migration across the continent”.

And with the UK being one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies in the fight against Russia’s invasion, Downing Street official said the gathering will “come at an important moment in efforts to galvanise support”, given fighting in eastern Europe is expected to intensify in the summer.

Previous EPC summits have been instrumental in uniting Europe against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s aggression, including forging co-operation on energy security.

The UK has vowed to follow the burgeoning tradition of EPC meetings to ensure there is flexibility and consultation on the summit’s agenda.

Blenheim Palace is a popular visitor attraction and was used to host a dinner for then-US president Donald Trump during his state visit to the UK in July 2018.

Asked whether the Prime Minister regretted delaying a decision on when to hold the summit, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “These events, understandably, take some time to organise and it’s right that we made all the necessary preparations and had contact with European partners to ensure that we could identify a date that works for all parties.”