Keir Starmer seemed “nervous and anxious” as he attended a remembrance service with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, according to a body language expert.
Starmer became the first Prime Minister to attend the event since 1944 when Winston Churchill accompanied Charles De Gaulle, according to Number 10.
The pair laid a wreath together before relighting the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
Earlier, they had laid wreaths at statues of Churchill and Georges Clemenceau, the French prime minister at the time of the Armistice.
But according to one body language expert, the PM showed “tell-tale” signs of discomfort throughout.
Judi James believes that despite the pair appearing amicable on the surface, there was more to the meeting than meets the eye.
She said: “Starmer looked like a man who had planned to win the power-battle.
“As Macron strode down the steps to greet him Starmer smiled and offered his right hand for a strong, macho shake.”
Next, the two leaders engaged in an awkward hug before the Prime Minister gave the French President a slap on the back between the shoulder blades.
Starmer let his hand remain there, a move that James describes as one to “register control”.
Macron is said to have responded by pointing Starmer in the direction he needed to face for the assembled media, before taking his turn to pat Starmer’s back as the pair made their way inside.
James said: “The projected message from the two men to each other would be Starmer letting Macron know he was no push-over and would not be dominated in these talks.
“Macron was clearly keen to register camaraderie here and some of his tricks to look in charge seemed to have missed their target.”
After watching the two men when they reappeared later, James believes that the British Prime Minister looked far from assured.
She noted: “His mouth became clamped or his lips twitched with what looked like anxiety and there was some nervous auto-contact rituals with his tie and lapels.
“It was his rapid, staccato blinking that really hinted at the adrenalin burst that nervousness can cause and despite his attempt to meet or match Macron’s back-pats, it was clear Macron intended to win the game of pat and steer here.”
Starmer’s visit to France comes as European leaders scrambled to plan a strategy for dealing with an impending second Donald Trump US presidency.
The president-elect’s previous comments on Ukraine and the contributions of NATO allies to defence spending have left many worried about how the geo-political landscape might change once the 45th president of the United States becomes the 47th.