Barack Obama is in the country and nobody knows why...
Barack Obama arrived at Downing Street this afternoon for a surprise meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
PA
Barack Obama arrived at Downing Street this afternoon for a surprise meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The former US president smiled and waved at reporters as he entered No10 shortly after 3pm.
An hour later, Obama reappeared following the undisclosed private meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was not disclosed to the media, but a Whitehall source told GB News that Obama met with the Prime Minister for an "informal meeting with the PM whilst he’s in town".
Barack Obama was seen at Downing Street following an undisclosed private meeting
PA
It is the first time Obama has met Sunak.
The last time the Democrat visited Downing Street was eight years ago in 2016.
A Downing Street spokesperson insisted the visit was an "informal courtesy drop in".
They added: "President Obama’s team made contact and obviously the prime minister was very happy to to meet with him and discuss the work of the Obama Foundation."
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The Barack Obama Foundation is a nonprofit organisation focused on social mobility which he founded in 2014.
He said "I’m tempted!" when asked about his opinion on the state of Russian democracy by the media before getting into a Range Rover car with Jane D Hartley, the US ambassador to the UK.
In 2016, he met with then prime minister David Cameron at No10 for talks ahead of the Brexit vote.
At the time, he issued a warning that the UK would be at the "back of the queue" for US trade deals if it left the European Union.
The two leaders held a joint news conference at the Foreign Office, with Obama saying the US "wants Britain’s influence to grow - including within Europe".
It comes as Sunak faces intense speculation about a plot to replace him as Prime Minister before the general election.
Obama served two terms in the White House from 2009 to 2017 before he was succeeded by Republican Donald Trump.
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