Sunak announces European summit to be held in Britain in July

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will host European leaders at England's Blenheim Palace in July for talks on support for Ukraine and preventing unauthorized migration.
He announced on Tuesday that the European Political Community (EPC) summit will be held on July 18. The UK is no longer an EU member but the EPC is a wider grouping from across the continent.
An earlier date had been expected but media reports suggested Sunak was delaying confirming when the summit would be because he wanted to hold the door open for a potential general election in May.
He last week ruled out holding a parliamentary election to coincide with May's regional contests.
The prime minister has said that his working assumption is that he will go to the country in the second half of the year.
Announcing the summit date, Sunak said: "I am delighted that the UK will host the next European Political Community meeting at the historic Blenheim Palace.
"It is an important forum for co-operation across the whole of Europe on the issues that are affecting us all, threatening our security and prosperity.
"From putting our full support behind Ukraine to stopping the scourge of people smuggling and illegal migration, under the UK's leadership the meeting will bring together our European friends, partners, and neighbours to address our shared challenges."
Sunak's centre-right Conservative government is currently looking to push through its hardline proposal to deport migrants arriving via small boats in the English Channel to Rwanda.
Other European countries, such as Italy, have alternative immigration policies that will see asylum seekers processed by a partner country.
Downing Street expects that the gathering at the Oxfordshire birthplace of World War II leader Winston Churchill will see about 50 leaders from across the continent meet for discussions in July.
The EPC was a post-Brexit project that was pushed by French president Emmanuel Macron in the wake of Russia's assault on Ukraine.
EPC leaders first met in October 2022 in Prague as part of the project, and last gathered in Granada, Spain, in October 2023.