Giorgia Meloni is furious. The Italian Prime Minister has flatly denied reports she begged Donald Trump for a photo op at the G7 summit. But Whitehall sources tell me the damage is done. The optics are a disaster.
Let me explain. The photo in question shows Meloni leaning in, arm extended, face pleading. Trump looks past her. The British delegation saw it. They cringed. One diplomat described it as 'a masterclass in how not to do diplomacy.' Another called it 'awkward.'
Meloni's office insists she was simply asking Trump to move so other leaders could join the frame. 'She did not beg,' a spokesperson told Italian media. But the denial itself is telling. If it were nothing, why the fuss? Because in politics, perception is reality. And the perception is that Meloni, a hard-right firebrand, is desperate for Trump's approval.
This matters for Britain. Our diplomats are watching the breakdown of G7 etiquette with alarm. The old rules are gone. Handshakes, photo calls, bilateral meetings: these are the grease of international relations. When they break down, deals break down. One Foreign Office official told me: 'If the US president can't be bothered to smile for a camera, how do we get him to agree to trade terms?'
The subtext here is the Trump factor. He doesn't do protocol. He does transactions. Meloni, for all her bluster, knows this. She needs US support on migration, on China, on Ukraine. But you cannot demand respect in Trump's world. You have to earn it. And this photo suggests she hasn't.
Westminster is watching. Some Tories see an opportunity. 'If Meloni can't handle Trump, maybe we should step in,' one backbencher told me. Others are more cautious. 'Meloni is a fellow conservative. We don't want to embarrass her,' a senior figure said. But the subtext is clear: Britain wants to be the bridge between the US and Europe. And if Meloni is weak, that bridge collapses.
The real question is what happens next. Meloni will try to spin this as a non-story. She'll double down on her 'strong woman' image. But the whispers in Rome suggest her coalition is nervous. The League party, her coalition partner, is pro-Trump. They see the photo as a sign she can't manage the relationship.
For Labour, this is manna from heaven. They can paint the Tories as siding with a desperate politician. But they also know the score. Any British PM will have to deal with Trump. And if Meloni can't get a photo, what chance does Starmer have?
Let me be blunt. This is not about one photograph. It is about the collapse of diplomatic norms. The G7 was supposed to be a club of like-minded democracies. Now it is a chaos of egos. Meloni's denial only confirms how fragile the order has become. Mark my words: this will not be the last such incident.
