Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended his decision to travel to South Africa for the G20 summit, despite the looming budget announcement and the notable absence of former US President Donald Trump from the international gathering.
Diplomatic Mission Amid Domestic Pressures
Starmer will arrive in Johannesburg on Friday morning for two days of summit discussions and bilateral meetings with world leaders. The trip comes just days before Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to deliver what is expected to be a controversial budget.
Number 10 insisted on Thursday that the prime minister's latest foreign excursion represents good value for British taxpayers. Speaking en route to South Africa, Starmer emphasised the economic benefits of his participation.
"If you want to deal with the cost of living and make people better off with good, secure jobs, investment from G20 partners and allies is really important," Starmer stated. "Those discussions from those relations are measured in real jobs back in the UK."
Notable Absences and Diplomatic Tensions
The summit has been marked by several significant absences, most notably Donald Trump, who decided to boycott the event after accusing South Africa of racial discrimination against the minority white Afrikaner community.
South Africa has responded strongly to Trump's claims, with President Cyril Ramaphosa telling the B20 business summit: "We are sovereign countries. And we need to be treated as equals. Our sovereignty needs to be respected. We need to sit around the table as equals without any bullying the other."
When questioned about Trump's absence, Starmer commented: "Obviously President Trump set out his position. I think it's really important to be there and talk to other partners and allies so we can get on with the discussions around global issues that have to be addressed."
Other notable leaders skipping the summit include Russia's Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and China's Xi Jinping, who has delegated attendance to Premier Li Qiang.
Ukraine Support and Budget Preparations
British officials confirmed that Starmer will use part of his visit to shore up international support for Ukraine. This comes as Trump develops a peace plan that would require Ukraine to surrender weapons and territory.
Downing Street stated: "Discussions on Ukraine will be an important part of this summit. It is, of course, important that the prime minister engages with our international allies in order to strengthen that support for Ukraine."
Meanwhile, back in London, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is putting the final touches on a budget expected to include billions in tax rises, though the government has abandoned plans to increase income tax rates directly.
Starmer addressed the upcoming budget, saying: "Obviously the details of the budget will come on Wednesday. It'll be a Labour budget with Labour values. It'll be based on fairness."
The prime minister acknowledged the challenging economic context, referencing "16, 17 years now where we've had the crash in 2008, followed by austerity, followed by a not very good Brexit deal, followed by Covid, followed by Ukraine." Despite these challenges, Starmer expressed optimism about Britain's future prospects.
