Theresa May set to challenge Donald Trump on climate change at G20
The Prime Minister will tell the President the Paris accord on climate change does not need renegotiating.
Thursday 6 July 2017 01:21, UK
Theresa May will hold one-to-one talks with Donald Trump during a two-day G20 summit in Hamburg which will be dominated by the North Korean missile test.
As well as discussing the potential missile crisis, the Prime Minister will raise the issue of climate change with the President after his controversial withdrawal of the US from the Paris accord.
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Germany's second largest city is bracing itself for violent demonstrations aimed at the attendance at the summit of President Trump, Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Erdogan.
The G20 comes exactly four weeks after the general election in which the Prime Minister lost her Commons majority, leaving her weakened on issues like Brexit and battling for her political survival.
And her bilateral with the US President will be their first major face-to-face meeting since her visit to the White House in January when their talks were overshadowed by pictures of him holding her hand as they walked together.
They had a brief meeting at the recent G7 in Sicily - an unscheduled "pull aside" - in which Downing street said they "reaffirmed their commitment to increasing trade between the UK and the US, including a post-Brexit deal".
The Hamburg summit also comes ahead of the week when the President had been due to make a state visit to the UK, which has now been postponed indefinitely because of fierce opposition from many MPs and the threat of mass protests.
The President is said to have told the Prime Minister in phone calls that he did not want to make the trip if the British public did not support him.
Downing Street has insisted the plans for a Trump visit have not changed, but it was not mentioned in the Queen's speech, which is normal for state visits, suggesting it has not been fixed for the two-year period of the new Parliament.
Ahead of the G20 summit, a senior UK Government official confirmed that the Prime Minister and the President were expected to discuss the latest missile test by North Korea when they meet for their one-to-one talks.
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"We are in agreement with the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that global action is required to stop a global threat," the official said.
"The PM will say it is essential the international community is united in condemnation of North Korea's actions.
"Our focus is on working with the US and international community on how we can increase pressure and find a peaceful solution to the ongoing threat North Korea poses to international security."
The official said the UK would continue to play a central role at the UN, supporting resolutions on sanctions that would limit North Korea's ability to pursue its nuclear weapons programme.
On climate change, the official said the Prime Minister plans to tell the President she does not believe the Paris agreement needs to be renegotiated.
He caused consternation worldwide last month when he confirmed that he wanted to withdraw.
The Prime Minister was criticised for not signing a letter sent by several European governments condemning the move - though she insisted she had discussed it with him directly.
But the UK official said Mrs May would be stressing that the UK remains fully committed to the Paris agreement. "She will say that we don't see any need for renegotiation - we support the Paris agreement because it delivers."
Barry Gardiner, Labour's shadow cabinet minister for climate change, called for a more robust approach, saying the Prime Minister should "take President Trump to task" for his announcement that the US will quit the international accord to address dangerous global warming.
"A Labour prime minister would make clear that the UK stands by the Paris agreement and that America is diminished by the President's foolish and short sighted decision to withdraw."