Photo: British Prime Minister Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Meroni (right) met on the 13th. /AFP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not hold formal bilateral talks with any of the other six leaders on the first day of the G7 summit, but he insisted he was not being snubbed.

The UK will hold a general election on July 4, and Sunak’s Conservative Party is more than 20% behind the Labour Party in the polls. In contrast, the Italian Brothers Party led by Italian Prime Minister Meroni won a big victory in the European Parliament elections, winning nearly 29% of the votes. When the two met, Meroni seemed to ask Sunak sympathetically: “Are you okay?”

When asked if he was snubbed at the G7 summit because he was seen as likely to lose the British election, Sunak said he had held informal meetings with the leaders of Germany and France.[The Guardian]