The Prime Minister is set to speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky alongside the German and French leaders about the US-backed peace plan.
Sir Keir Starmer met with South African president and G20 summit host Cyril Ramaphosa after touching down in Johannesburg for a trip he will use to promote support for Ukraine and make business deals ahead of next week’s crunch Budget.
The Prime Minister said it was “really important to be” at the gathering shunned by Donald Trump and announced deals worth £400 million for trains, planes and submarines.
Downing Street defended Sir Keir’s travel – coming days before the Budget is expected to raise taxes and despite the US president’s absence – saying he would use it to shore up support for Ukraine as Washington has been drafting a peace plan with Moscow that would reportedly require Kyiv to give up territory and weapons.
Sir Keir, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz are set to speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky about the US-Russia developments later on Friday.
The November 22-23 leaders’ summit was threatened to be overshadowed by the boycott of the US president and American officials over widely rejected claims that white people are being persecuted in South Africa.
South African president Mr Ramaphosa on Thursday raised the prospect of a change of mind on US participation, but those claims were later hosed down by the White House.
Asked about Mr Trump’s absence, Sir Keir told reporters travelling with him: “In terms of attendance, obviously President Trump set out his position.
“I think it’s really important to be there and to talk to other partners and allies so we can get on with the discussions around global issues that have to be addressed and do have an impact back at home, but also to take the opportunity face to face to further the deals that I want to do for our country.”
He also said: “In the last three years the jobs that have been generated in the UK from countries in the G20 is 200,000 and that focus in the Budget will be very much the economy and the cost of living.
“And I will focus on the deals we can do, the business we can do with our partner countries and make sure that the work we do internationally is impacting directly at home.”
Sir Keir met with Mr Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the summit on Friday, hours after landing in Johannesburg.
The two leaders discussed the 11-hour flight from London in brief remarks in front of reporters, with Sir Keir telling the African leader “I wanted to be here”.
The Labour leader was earlier greeted on the tarmac by a dance troupe performing the South African pantsula dance.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also among the leaders skipping the multilateral forum, designed to bring together the world’s leading economies.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to take Mr Xi’s place, but Sir Keir declined to say whether they will meet.
He insisted he would “robustly” protect the UK’s national interests in response to speculation he will visit China early next year and the country’s controversial embassy in London will be approved.
Sir Keir also defended his approach to dealing with Beijing, which was to “co-operate where we can and challenge where we must, particularly on national security”.
Sir Keir will visit a train depot with Derby-built trains on Friday to announce a deal under which Government-owned Crossrail International will advise on driving investment in South Africa’s railways.
The UK has also launched a new partnership with Vietnam to support a digital overhaul of its railway system.
Other deals include:
– A new UK-South Africa mutual recognition arrangement that is estimated to boost exports by up to £700 million over five years
– British Steel has secured a further £35 million contract to supply products for Turkey’s high-speed network
– UK firm Rolls-Royce will supply new jet engines for 10 Air Algerie aircraft as part of a £370 million package of air deals with Algeria
– UK defence firm Babcock has won an initial contract to assess the readiness of and help maintain South African navy submarines.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet a series of Indo-Pacific and African leaders during the G20 gathering, the first to be held on African soil.
South Africa currently holds the rotating G20 presidency, with the US due to take over at the end of the year.
Asked whether in striking business deals with African states, he was ignoring their ties to Russia, Sir Keir said: “We’re allies with South Africa and of course I want to get deals with South Africa and other countries over the line.”
Defending Sir Keir’s trip so close to the Budget, a No 10 spokesman said that “whenever the Prime Minister is overseas it is focused on the priorities of people in this country” and stressed it was “important that the Prime Minister engages with our international allies in order to strengthen that support for Ukraine”.
