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Starmer and Sunak appeared unusually friendly at the opening of Parliament in the state

Starmer and Sunak appeared unusually friendly at the opening of Parliament in the state

Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) and former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Rishi Sunak chatted on their way to the House of Lords for the King's Speech.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) and former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Rishi Sunak chatted on their way to the House of Lords for the King’s Speech. via Associated Press

Keir Starmer And Rishi Sunak At today’s opening of Parliament, the two men appeared remarkably friendly towards each other.

Starmer, the new prime minister, walked side by side with the opposition leader throughout the event, less than two weeks after ousting Sunak from his post at 10 Downing Street.

The Prime Minister is always expected to walk formally from the House of Commons to the House of Lords with his counterpart on the day of the State Opening of Parliament and then to stand together at the door of the chamber to hear the King’s Speech.

But Starmer and Sunak seemed particularly animated during their conversation – and many people noticed this on social media.

Of course, both men were aware that their every move during their walk was being filmed.

It is customary for MPs to “speak loudly” during this ceremonial moment to demonstrate their independence from the House of Lords.

And despite their awkward job swap, the two men also had a lively conversation in the House of Commons after they made their way to the House of Lords.

Even the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and deputy Tory leader Oliver Dowden followed their example and were filmed smiling and chatting.

The friendliness of the politicians may come as a surprise to some political experts after the election campaign saw fierce fighting between party leaders, particularly during the televised debates.

Electoral rivalries have not always turned into pleasantries after the end of the election campaign – Jeremy Corbyn And Boris Johnson had an infamous frosty walk in 2019.

Then-Prime Minister Johnson had just won a landslide general election, while Corbyn’s Labour Party won its lowest number of seats since 1935.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the State Opening of Parliament in 2019Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the State Opening of Parliament in 2019

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the State Opening of Parliament in 2019 via Associated Press

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