Keir Starmer has defended travelling to South Africa for the G20 summit just days before the budget, despite Donald Trump saying he will not attend.
The prime minister is due to arrive in South Africa on Friday for two days of summit sessions and bilateral talks covering sustainability and economic growth. With the chancellor finalising what could be a contentious budget and Trump absent, No 10 argued the trip represented good value for taxpayers.
On the flight to Johannesburg Starmer said that securing investment from G20 partners is vital to tackle the cost of living and create secure jobs, arguing those relationships translate into “real jobs back in the UK” at a time when the economy and household finances are the key issues.
Starmer will take part in a business event on Friday before the main summit on Saturday. He will hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders but will not meet Trump, who has opted out after accusing South Africa of racially discriminating against the white Afrikaner minority. South Africa has accused the US of “coercion by absentia”.
Addressing the B20 business summit, President Cyril Ramaphosa said countries must be treated as equals, have their sovereignty respected, and sit at the table without being bullied. When asked about Trump’s absence, Starmer said it was important to attend and continue discussions with partners and allies on global issues that need addressing.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping will also be absent. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, of which South Africa is a signatory, and Xi has missed several international meetings this year, sending Premier Li Qiang to represent China at Brics and ASEAN events.
British officials say Starmer will use part of the trip to rally support for Ukraine, amid reports that Trump is preparing a peace plan critics say would force Ukraine to cede territory and give up weapons. The prime minister was briefed on the plan’s outline after meeting Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz and France’s president Emmanuel Macron in Berlin; he is expected to swap further views with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the summit.
At home, chancellor Rachel Reeves is putting the finishing touches to a budget expected to include billions in tax rises, possibly including a freeze on income tax thresholds. The prime minister and chancellor last week dropped a plan to raise income tax rates, leaving Reeves to identify other measures to raise roughly £20bn.
Starmer said the budget, due on Wednesday, will reflect Labour values and fairness. He framed the measures as necessary to repair the economy after “16, 17 years” that have included the 2008 crash, austerity, what he called a poor Brexit deal, the Covid pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. He added he was optimistic about the country’s future if the government gets the approach right.
