Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 November 2022.

The Prime Minister met US President Biden today at the G20 Summit in Indonesia.

The leaders agreed on the national and international importance of the strong UK-US relationship, particularly given the challenging economic times the world is currently facing.

The Prime Minister and President Biden underscored that the actions of President Putin and his regime are directly responsible for precipitating global economic issues including rising inflation. Maintaining international pressure to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine is in everyone’s interest.

The leaders agreed to work together, and with allies, to address the economic consequences of Putin’s brutality. This includes action to protect the most vulnerable in our countries and around the world, and efforts to secure our long-term energy supply.

They stressed the importance of likeminded allies providing a counterpoint to authoritarian regimes, including ensuring developing countries can grow in a sustainable way.

The Prime Minister and President Biden both agreed on the importance of sustained engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and pointed to the AUKUS pact as an example of that. The Prime Minister outlined the UK’s Indo-Pacific priorities, including joining the CPTPP trade bloc.

The leaders looked forward to working together to take forward cooperation between the UK and the US on areas including trade, defence and upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

 

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 November 2022.

The Prime Minister spoke to Polish President Andrzej Duda today (16 November) from the G20 in Indonesia, following reports of a missile strike in Poland.

He reiterated the UK’s solidarity with Poland as a close ally and expressed condolences for the victims and their families.

President Duda updated on the Polish investigation efforts, and the Prime Minister offered any assistance needed to urgently establish what happened.

The leaders agreed to remain in close contact and continue coordinating with our international partners, including NATO Allies, on the next steps.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 November 2022.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 November 2022.

The Prime Minister met His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia at the G20 Summit today.

They discussed the importance of continued UK-Saudi cooperation in the face of regional security threats and international economic instability.

In light of the global increase in energy prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Prime Minister said he hoped the UK and Saudi Arabia could continue to work together to stabilise energy markets.

The leaders also shared their concern over threats to peace and security in the Middle East, including Iran’s destabilising activity in the region.

The Prime Minister welcomed the strong trade relations and defence and security collaboration between our two countries, and the leaders committed to look for opportunities to deepen investment ties in strategic industries.

The Prime Minister looked forward to continuing to strengthen the UK-Saudi relationship, noting the importance of further progress on social reforms, including on women’s rights and freedoms in the Kingdom.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 November 2022.

The Prime Minister met His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia at the G20 Summit today.

They discussed the importance of continued UK-Saudi cooperation in the face of regional security threats and international economic instability.

In light of the global increase in energy prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Prime Minister said he hoped the UK and Saudi Arabia could continue to work together to stabilise energy markets.

The leaders also shared their concern over threats to peace and security in the Middle East, including Iran’s destabilising activity in the region.

The Prime Minister welcomed the strong trade relations and defence and security collaboration between our two countries, and the leaders committed to look for opportunities to deepen investment ties in strategic industries.

The Prime Minister looked forward to continuing to strengthen the UK-Saudi relationship, noting the importance of further progress on social reforms, including on women’s rights and freedoms in the Kingdom.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 November 2022.

• G20 meeting this week is the largest summit of major economies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
• The UK and allies will use talks to call out Putin’s actions and their devastating, far-reaching impact on global food and energy prices
• A new generation of British frigates will bolster the UK’s defences and sustain 4,000 UK jobs

The Prime Minister is in Indonesia today (Tuesday) for the first meeting of the G20 in the group’s 15-year history held in the shadow of a major European war instigated by one of its members.

The summit comes as countries grapple with the ramifications of Putin’s brutality and disregard for sovereignty, with rising costs of food and energy hitting the world’s poorest.

Russia has acted with disregard for sovereignty and international law – pillars of the stable international system the G20 was created to preserve. At this week’s meeting, the Prime Minister and his fellow leaders will call out Putin’s callous disregard for human rights and stress that Russia’s role in the international system will never be normalised while the war in Ukraine continues.

The UK and allies are taking steps to bolster their security in the face of increased Russian threats. Today the Prime Minister has announced the next phase in the Type 26 frigate programme, with a £4.2 billion contract awarded to BAE Systems to build five more ships for the Royal Navy – in addition to the three already under construction.

The project will support 1,700 jobs at the BAE systems sites in Govan and Scotstoun, Glasgow, over the next decade. 2,300 additional jobs will be supported in the supply chain across the UK.

The Prime Minister said:

“There can be no normalisation of Putin’s behaviour, which has no place in the international community.

“Russia’s actions put all of us at risk. As we give the Ukrainian people the support they need, we are also harnessing the breadth and depth of UK expertise to protect ourselves and our allies. This includes building the next generation of British warships.

“Putin and his proxies will never have a legitimate seat at the table until they end their illegal war in Ukraine. At the G20, the Putin regime – which has stifled domestic dissent and fabricated a veneer of validity only through violence – will hear the chorus of global opposition to its actions.”

The UK-pioneered Type 26 is an advanced warship with the primary purpose of anti-submarine warfare. It will work to protect the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent and Carrier Strike Group.

Maritime security is crucial for defending our island nation, enabling global trade, and for the ongoing operation of seabed energy and communications infrastructure. The importance and vulnerability of these connections was made clear in September when a series of explosions critically ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines, cutting off a major gas route to Europe.

Adversaries such as Russia are continually seeking to exploit any weaknesses in this area and any gaps in our security or that of our allies put our people and economies at risk.

Construction of all eight of the Type 26 frigates is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s. When operational, the ships can be deployed all over the world in defence of the UK and allies’ security.

Alongside calling out Russia’s behaviour, the Prime Minister will use the G20 Summit to reiterate the UK’s staunch support for Ukraine. As Chancellor the Prime Minister committed £4.1bn in direct support to Ukraine, including £2.3bn in vital military aid. Today the Prime Minister will re-commit to matching that level of spending on military support next year.

While Chancellor, the Prime Minister also spearheaded the UK’s contribution to a G7-wide cap on the price of Russian oil on international markets. Last week the UK introduced legislation to prevent countries using the UK’s maritime services to transport Russian oil unless it is purchased below the price cap – a hugely influential measure given the UK provides around 60% of global maritime insurance.

President Zelenskyy is expected to virtually address the first session of the G20 today, ensuring Russia is forced to reckon first-hand with the senseless violence they are inflicting.

The impact of this violence reaches beyond Ukraine and has forced a more difficult and dangerous future on people throughout the world. The most vulnerable people continue to be the ones who are suffering the most with rising food, energy and other costs.

The Prime Minister will use today’s meeting to emphasise the importance of the world’s most powerful economies reducing their dependence on Russian exports and supporting others to do the same.

We must ensure Putin’s attempt to divide the international community fails. That requires likeminded countries to end their dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and secure long-term energy supplies for our countries.

The UK quickly legislated to ban the import of Russian coal, oil and liquified natural gas. At the G20 we will continue our work with partners to completely phase out dependence on Russian energy, shifting to more reliable and less exploitative sources.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 November 2022.

• The Prime Minister arrives at the G20 Summit in Indonesia today (Monday) for talks with the leaders of the world’s biggest economies
• He will stress the need for coordinated global action to bring down the cost of living and end the war in Ukraine, which is devastating the global economy
• Summit will be the first encounter between a British PM and a Russian representative since the brutal invasion in February

The Prime Minister will call for coordinated global action to address international economic instability and the rising cost of living when he attends the G20 Summit this week. The meeting in Indonesia comes as countries around the world face huge economic difficulties, caused or exacerbated by the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Every household on the planet is feeling the impact of Putin’s war. Global food prices have been driven up by his attempts to choke off the Ukrainian grain supply, energy bills have skyrocketed thanks to Russia turning off their gas taps and the World Bank predicts the economic aftershocks will ripple around the world for years to come.

This week’s meeting will be the first time a UK Prime Minister has met a representative of the Russian regime since Putin’s full-scale invasion in February. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is expected to attend the talks instead of Putin.

The Prime Minister will use the G20 as an opportunity to call out Putin’s barbarism and force Russia to confront the global suffering caused by this senseless campaign of violence.

The best and quickest way to alleviate these problems is for Putin to withdraw from Ukraine. But while this war continues, the world’s most powerful economies have a crucial role to play in addressing the desperate global economic situation.

G20 leaders first met during the global financial crisis in 2008, in recognition of the fact that our complex and international economic system cannot function without coordinated action from the most powerful economies. This year, the world is looking to the G20 again to ensure the stability of international markets and alleviate the burden on the world’s poorest people.

Ahead of this week’s summit the Prime Minister has set out a five-point economic action plan for leaders to address the current global instability, covering changes to the global energy market, international food supply and the world financial system.

This action will ensure a firm platform for the domestic measures the Chancellor will set out in this week’s Autumn Statement.

The Prime Minister said:

Later this week the Autumn Statement will set out how we will get this country on the right path, put public finances on a stable footing and get debt falling.

Creating a stable international system that protects the most vulnerable will be a core part of that work.

But addressing the biggest economic crisis in a decade will require a concerted effort by the world’s largest economies – these are not problems we can solve alone. At the G20, leaders need to step up to fix the weaknesses in the international economic system which Putin has exploited for years.

Under the five-point economic action plan, the Prime Minister will call on fellow leaders to:

Direct government support to where it’s most needed. Using government support effectively to prioritise the most vulnerable, both in our own countries and internationally.

End the weaponisation of food production and distribution. Taking immediate action to support the global food trade to reduce the cost of living for all and save the lives of those at risk of starvation. This includes calling for the Black Sea Grain Initiative to be renewed on 19th November and a G20-wide commitment never to weaponise food production and distribution.

Strengthen our energy security and reduce energy dependence on Russia. We must bring an end Russia’s stranglehold over international energy prices. As part of these efforts we will work with partners to unlock the investment needed to accelerate the green transition – the best way of protecting ourselves from those who have perpetually used hydrocarbons to bully and coerce.

Open up global trade. This includes by advancing bilateral free trade agreements and through reform of the World Trade Organization. We need a WTO fit to release the opportunities of the 21st century while tackling the manipulation of global markets by malign actors.

Providing honest, reliable finance to help developing countries grow sustainably. Ensuring that the international financial system has the firepower needed to help developing countries grow without becoming dependent on their lenders. This includes rapid action to help poor countries better manage their debt burdens and providing an alternative to developing countries borrowing from exploitative sources.

These efforts form part of the Prime Minister’s drive to place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. That means being a constructive and reliable member to the global economy, and using our influence to create a stronger international economic system.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 November 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed his Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to Downing Street today.

The Prime Minister was pleased to have the opportunity to meet His Majesty the King early on in his premiership, given the importance and historic significance of the UK-Jordan relationship.

They discussed regional security, including developments in Iraq and Syria and challenges posed by climate change and energy security. Both leaders reiterated their shared commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.

The Prime Minister and King Abdullah also welcomed opportunities to deepen cooperation on trade and investment, including new solar and wind power projects and sustainable infrastructure development.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 10 November 2022.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 10 November 2022.