The Press Association’s chief political photographer has shared his favourite pictures of the year.
Having photographed every prime minister since John Major, Stefan Rousseau has seen his fair share of political mishaps and funny moments.
His pictures below showcase both the unexpected and accidental moments of British politics.
– Starmer picks up a trade deal
Mr Rousseau captured one of the most striking photographs in British politics this year: the moment Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer picked up a UK-US trade deal from beneath US President Donald Trump’s feet.
He said: “My first picture was taken at the G7 summit in Canada in June.
“A bilateral meeting between President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was scheduled.
“This one, however, was arranged outside, so a little more interesting than the usual two chairs and a couple of flags in a conference room.
“After about half an hour of waiting, the two men appeared, with Trump brandishing the UK-US trade deal recently agreed by the two men. But as the president opened his folder, the papers fell to the ground.
“Starmer knelt down to pick them up, at that point I knew the image of a British prime minister kneeling at the feet of a US president was THE picture.
“A Downing Street official half-jokingly said, ‘You’re not going to file that are you?’ But he knew there was no hope of my holding that back.”
– Trigger discipline
This photo of Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch pointing a rifle at a serviceman made for quite the picture.
Mr Rousseau said: “She viewed military hardware and was given demonstrations of various high-tech equipment.
“During her discussion with a soldier, she held a gun and continued her conversation whilst unwittingly pointing it at him.
“Most people know, you should never point a gun at anyone regardless of whether it’s loaded or not.
“People asked if it was a trick of the camera and that she wasn’t as close to him as it seemed – well, she was directly opposite him and only a few feet away from me.”
Mrs Badenoch was eventually allowed to handle a weapon safely within the confines of an armoured vehicle.
– Strictly come Starmer
This photo of Sir Keir Starmer enjoying a dance in India is much different from the Prime Minister we usually see in Westminster.
Mr Rousseau said: “During the Prime Minister’s two-day trip to India in October he attended a Diwali ceremony in which he was invited to light candles.
“After which, local dancers coaxed him into joining them in a traditional performance. He was initially reluctant but they kept beckoning him to take part. He did so for about three seconds!”
– The Prime Minister and his wife
Mr Rousseau said: “At the Labour conference in Liverpool, I was told the Prime Minister would be rehearsing his speech in the hall on the eve of his keynote address.
“When I turned up, his wife was also there and I watched them looking very relaxed, actually having a bit of fun on the empty stage.
“It made for a lovely set of very natural pictures.”
