Markus Andrews

A defensive Boris Johnson faced accusations that Brexit wars and his huge overseas aid cuts fatally undermined the G7 Summit, as the gathering was attacked as “a colossal failure”.At a closing press conference, the prime minister trumpeted agreements on the climate emergency and vaccine donations to hail the three-day event – seen as crucial to the UK’s international standing – as a success.Asked about a diplomatic spat with France, over the UK’s failure to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, Mr Johnson insisted it had not deflected from the agenda he had set out.The “vast, vast majority of conversations” had been about “other subjects”, he insisted, claiming: “There has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries.”But the G7 fell short of a target to gift poorer countries 1 billion jabs – itself only a fraction of the 11 billion the World Health Organisation says is needed.And no new commitments were made to meet the promise – made 11 years ago – for rich nations to spend £100bn a year to help the developing world adapt to global heating.Mr Johnson was asked if his £4bn-a-year overseas aid cuts had left him “without the moral authority” to secure those gains, but said: “Obviously, I reject that outright.”The cuts had “not been raised by any other international leader, let alone the leader of a recipient country”, he insisted.But Max Lawson, from Oxfam, said: “This G7 Summit will live on in infamy. Faced with the biggest health emergency in a century and a climate catastrophe that is destroying our planet, they have completely failed to meet the challenges of our times.“The G7 have chosen to cook the books on vaccines and continue to cook the planet. We don’t need to wait for history to judge this summit a colossal failure, it is plain for all to see.”And the Civil Society 7 (C7) group of charities said: “Without 10 billion vaccines, the removal of patents and investment in healthcare systems pledges to inoculate the world by the end of next year ring hollow.“Multiple commitments for climate action have been made and remade. Yet even after this summit, we are still short of the significant climate finance needed.”On vaccines, the communique stated: “We are committing to share at least 870 million doses directly over the next year. We will make these doses available as soon as possible and aim to deliver at least half by the end of 2021.”And, on the £100bn climate fund, it read: “We commit to each increase and improve our overall international public climate finance contributions” – with no specific figures.Mr Johnson said the UK was giving £11.6bn and claimed there had been “big pledges around the table”, saying: “I do think that we can get there.”And he argued: “The world was looking to us to reject some of the selfishness and nationalist approaches that have marred the initial global response to the pandemic, and to channel all our diplomatic, economic and scientific might into defeating Covid for good.“And I do hope we have lived up to some of the most optimistic of hopes and predictions.” More

The G7 summit will be remembered as an “unforgivable moral failure” after a promise to “vaccinate the world” was broken, Gordon Brown says.“Millions of people will go unvaccinated and thousands of people, I’m afraid, will die,” the former prime minister said, after the gathering failed to agree a financing package.On the eve of the summit, more than 100 former world leaders called for the G7 to pay two-thirds of the $66bn cost of a comprehensive global vaccination programme.But the UK failed to even put it on the agenda, with the G7 instead agreeing merely to donate less than 10 per cent of the 11 billion doses needed across the world.Dominic Raab claimed the package would enable the world to be vaccinated by the middle of next year, but Mr Brown said that would not now be possible.“We will have a huge problem of a division between the richest countries that are safe and the poorest countries that are not safe,” he warned, on Sky News.“But then the problem will come back to haunt the richest countries, because we will have contagions spreading that may hurt even the people who are vaccinated, because of mutations and variants.”Hopes were raised for the summit when Boris Johnson demanded “concrete commitments” from fellow G7 leaders to secure a plan to vaccinate “the entire world” by the end of 2022.The former world leaders urged the rich nations to pay two-thirds of the bill for jabs in poor countries, to trigger the bonus of a $9 trillion economic bounce back by 2025, the International Monetary Fund said.“I wait to see the final communique, but it looks as if there is a huge gap between what Boris Johnson promised last Sunday and what is actually being delivered,” Mr Brown said.He blamed the UK’s savage overseas aid cuts, explaining: “We’re not prepared to put up enough money to deal with problems that the world faces, even when the benefits in extra economic activity if the world gets back to growth and trade far outweigh the costs of doing this.“And so Boris Johnson really has got to think, ‘are we to leave this problem to the G20 next year or the year after’, because – on the basis of the evidence, I see – the whole world will not be vaccinated by the middle of 2022.“It will take months before the world gets back to discussing this again in the most coherent way. We need a plan – we don’t have yet a plan.”On Friday, Save the Children said it was “deeply disappointing that Boris Johnson is avoiding the main issue he faces during this G7 summit: finding the funds to vaccinate the world”.And the group Global Justice Now, said: “Boris Johnson’s lofty promises to vaccinate the world have today been wiped out like a surfer in Carbis Bay. It’s shameful.” More

Boris Johnson pressed by reporter about Raab’s ‘offensive’ remark at G7Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied that Brexit cast a shadow over the G7 summit as the Cornwall event came to a close. Asked at a press conference whether Brexit had created a “sour taste” at the summit, Mr Johnson said the “vast majority” of discussions had nothing to do with Britain’s exit from the EU.“I can tell you that the vast, vast majority of the conversations that we have had over the last three or four days have been about other subjects and there has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries,” he said.One matter the prime minister said G7 leaders did agree on was the pledge to dedicate more than 1 billion coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations. The number does fall far short of the 11 billion doses sought by the World Health Organization. However, Mr Johnson said G7 countries would be working with other nations to speed up efforts to see more doses supplied around the world. Meanwhile, the Elysee Palace has rejected claims that Emmanuel Macron confused the constitutional status of Northern Ireland in a conversation with Boris Johnson at the G7 summit in Cornwall.Reports today suggested that a mix-up on NI had sparked an outburst from Mr Johnson that EU leaders had to get the importance of the territorial integrity of the UK “into their heads”. However, Mr Macron’s office has said the French leader had only pointed out that mainland Britain and Northern Ireland were on two different islands after Mr Johnson asked him whether he would accept a ban on movements of sausages between Toulouse and Paris.Downing Street has it will not discuss the details of the incident.Show latest update

1623596026Hundreds of ‘Kill the Bill’ protesters march near summit Hundreds of people marched today near the G7 summit to protest against a proposed bill that would give greater power to police to control protests.The “Kill the Bill” protesters chanted “Kill the Bill” and “Who’s rights? Our rights” as they made their way down to the G7 media centre where continued to chant and give speeches.The rallygoers were there to demonstrate against the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill.At least 500 people were in attendance at the demonstration, according to PA.Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:531623594484Macron says UK inconsistencies shouldn’t be blamed on EU France’s Emmanuel Macron has criticised Boris Johnson over the “sausage wars” row, asserting that countries cannot create such controversies when there are “serious issues to deal with”. The French leader said Mr Johnson was “well aware” of the rules when he signed up to them and should now ensure that they are implemented “seriously, calmly and professionally”. Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:281623594142Boris Johnson denies Brexit wars and aid cuts undermined summit Boris Johnson has denied that Brexit wars and aid cuts undermined the G7 summit, as critics have branded the event a “colossal failure”. Rob Merrick has the story: Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:221623594052Biden says China must act more responsibly Joe Biden has said China must act more “responsibly”. The US leader said the country must be more transparent and to act more responsibly on human rights.Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:201623593577Biden says he will be ‘very straightforward’ with Putin Joe Biden has said he plans to be “very straightforward” with Vladimir Putin when he meets him for upcoming talks. “I will be very straightforward with Putin,” he said at a presser following the G7 summit.The president said the US would be looking to resolve actions “inconsistent” with international norms. He also said Mr Putin was right to say that relations between their two nations were at a low point as the two world leaders prepare to meet.“Let me make it clear I think he’s right it’s a low point, and it depends on how he responds to acting consistent with international norms, which in many cases he has not,” he said.Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:121623593179Biden ‘very pleased’ with outcome of G7 talksJoe Biden has said he “was very pleased” with the outcome of the G7 summit. Speaking at a press conference following the Cornwall event, Mr Biden said h “noticed there was a lot of coverage of my individual comments made by my colleagues about how we were all getting along together, but the truth of the matter was that we did.”“I felt a general sense of enthusiasm that America is back at the table,” he said.Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:061623593069‘America is back at the table,’ Biden says Delivering a press conference following the G7 talks in Cornwall, Joe Biden said he made clear “America is back at the table” at the summit. “…The united states is going to do our part,” he said. “America is back at the table.”The US leader said his country’s “full engagement was noticed significantly” not just by fellow G7 leaders, but also “by the people” of G7 countries. Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 15:041623591574UK will do ‘whatever it takes’ to protect territorial integrity, Johnson says Boris Johnson has said his government will do “whatever it takes” to protect the territorial integrity of the UK.The prime minister made the comment after being asked about Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s earlier comments saying he found French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements on Great Britain and Northern Ireland “offensive”. “What I am saying is that we will do whatever it takes to protect the territorial integrity of the UK, but actually what happened at this summit was there was a colossal amount of work on subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with Brexit,” he said.Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 14:391623591424Johnson says ‘vast majority’ of G7 talks were not about Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the “vast majority” of talks he had at the G7 summit were not about Brexit. Asked at a press conference whether Brexit had created a “sour taste” at the summit, he said: “I can tell you that the vast, vast majority of the conversations that we have had over the last three or four days have been about other subjects and there has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries.”Chantal Da Silva13 June 2021 14:371623590510G7 leaders pledge one billion Covid vaccine dosesBoris Johnson says the G7 have pledged over 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses for poorer nations — far short of the 11 billion doses sought by the Wold Health Organization (WHO).He said the doses would come both directly and through the international COVAX program.It was one of a series of commitments announced at thr end of the three-day summit in Cornwall.Alastair Jamieson13 June 2021 14:21 More

French president Emmanuel Macron has said that Boris Johnson was “well aware” of the controls he signed up to in his Northern Ireland Protocol and must now implement them “seriously, calmly and professionally”.Mr Macron took a swipe at the prime minister as the G7 summit came to a conclusion in Cornwall, saying that it was not for the EU to sort out the “incoherences” of the Brexit deal which Mr Johnson demanded.And he said that respect for the UK’s sovereignty, including Northern Ireland’s position as an integral part of the country, cannot come at the cost of a lack of respect for the EU’s single market.Mr Macron was part of a united front at Carbis Bay against Mr Johnson’s demand for concessions on the deal he signed in 2019, under which exports of chilled meats – including sausages – from the British mainland to Northern Ireland are to be banned from the end of June.Foreign secretary branded EU leaders approach “offensive” and suggested that Mr Macron was among a series of figures trying to change Northern Ireland’s status against the wishes of its people. More

The public will accept a delay to the 21 June ending of all Covid rules to avoid a damaging “yo-yo” of restrictions, Dominic Raab says — as thousands of weddings and other public events face cancellation.Pressure is growing on ministers to postpone the final move out of lockdown amid sharply-rising infections, with one expert warning on Sunday of a “substantial third wave of Covid infections”.Boris Johnson is now expected to announce a four-week delay to lifting of all remaining restrictions, at a Downing Street press conference on Monday.The critical aim is to “move out of lockdown irreversibly”, Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, all but confirming the delay.“I think the vast majority of people in the country, but also in parliament, understand that. We don’t want to yo-yo back in and out of measures,” he said.The foreign secretary also brushed off fears that vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant – even after 14 people died, two weeks after receiving their second jab.“It takes 3 weeks, not 2 weeks, to have the full impact of the vaccines, so I’d be a bit careful about citing statistics out of context like that,” he said.Hospitality leaders have already reacted with fury to the prospect of a delay, with thousands of events set to be cancelled and the risk of a second successive summer without big music festivals.The industry estimates pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants will lose £3bn in sales – with up to 200,000 jobs shed – and that the economy overall will suffer a £4bn hit.Theatres and sporting events are likely to have their attendances still capped at 50 per cent capacity, with social distancing and table service only in pubs and the “rule of six” in people’s homes.With strong Tory opposition to delaying the roadmap, Mr Raab was asked if the prime minister could “hold the Conservative Party together”, but replied: “Yes.”Earlier on the programme, SAGE adviser Professor Andrew Hayward said he believed the UK would see a “substantial third wave of Covid infections” in the midst of the spread of the Delta variant.“The really big question is how much that wave of infections is going to translate into hospitalisations,” he said.“The fact that we’ve got 55 percent of the adult population double-vaccinated means that this would be substantially less bad than it could have been, but we don’t exactly know how bad it could be,” he said.Epidemiologist Sian Griffiths said the delay appeared increasingly “necessary.”“The public health advice would be to take it slowly and in a sustained way so we can keep up the progress we’ve been making,” she said. “I think waiting a little bit longer to sustain the progress is necessary, but it may not be an all-or-nothing Freedom Day,” Griffiths said. More

The “sausage war” row between the UK and EU deepened today as the Elysee Palace rejected claims that Emmanuel Macron confused the constitutional status of Northern Ireland in a conversation with Boris Johnson at the G7 summit in Cornwall.Reports today suggested that the supposed blunder was the trigger for Mr Johnson’s outburst that EU leaders had to “get into their heads” the importance of the territorial integrity of the UK.But the French president’s office today said that Macron had merely been pointing out that mainland Britain and Northern Ireland were on two different islands, after Mr Johnson asked him whether he would accept a ban on movements of sausages between Toulouse and Paris.Downing Street today declined to discuss details of the conversation, but foreign secretary Dominic Raab appeared to confirm accounts of the spat, saying that he had heard similar comments from EU leaders and branding them “offensive”.He risked further inflaming tensions with European capitals by suggesting that EU leaders were trying to change Northern Ireland’s status against the wishes of its people, and saying that Mr Macron’s reported comments were comparable to describing Catalonia as not part of Spain or Corsica not part of France.A French diplomatic source said the UK government was trying to distract away from the real issues of the G7 with the sausage row.Mr Johnson yesterday threatened to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol which forms part of his Brexit deal, after the EU insisted that the UK must apply provisions negotiated and agreed by the prime minister in 2019 which will ban the movement of chilled meats between the British mainland and Northern Ireland.Britain is not alleging any breach of the protocol by the EU, but claims Brussels is being too “purist” in the application of the rules which Mr Johnson signed up to.Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin warned against a unilateral UK extension of a “grace period” during which the rules are not observed, telling Sky News: “Consistent, unilateral deviation from that agreement… clearly undermines the broader relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom”.In a tetchy early-morning exchange with Mr Macron in Cornwall on Saturday, Mr Johnson is said to have asked: “How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris?”A UK government source is reported to have said the French president replied that it was “not a good comparison because Paris and Toulouse are part of the same country”, sparking the furious reply from Mr Johnson that: “Northern Ireland and Britain are part of the same country as well.”In a later interview, the prime minister said EU leaders “seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads”.But the Macron’s office on Sunday disputed this account of the premier’s exchange.“The president said that Toulouse and Paris were part of a single geographic area and that Northern Ireland was on an island,” said the Elysee.“The president wants to highlight that the situation was quite different and that it wasn’t right to draw this kind of comparison.“He reminded (Mr Johnson) that the UK’s exit from the EU was a British decision and that it was necessary to stick to the word given. The president then steered the conversation back to the key issues of the G7.”The impending ban on movements of chilled meats, due to take effect from 1 July, stems from strict EU rules to protect the quality and safety of food products circulating within the single market. Mr Johnson’s decision to place a customs border in the Irish Sea as part of his Brexit deal means that the protections apply to Northern Ireland.London is resisting an EU proposal to get round the issue by agreeing to align regulations on animal hygiene, because it fears this may get in the way of future trade deals with countries like the US. It instead proposes that the EU accept that standards in the UK are broadly equivalent to those in the single market.Asked about the row, Mr Raab told Sky News: “What we cannot have is the continuing disruption of trade and effectively, trying to change the status of Northern Ireland country to the wishes or the consent of the people.”He added: “We have serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it was some kind of different country to the UK. It is not only offensive, it has real-world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland, creates great concern, great consternation.“Could you imagine if we talked about Catalonia, the Flemish part of Belgium, one of the Länder in Germany, northern Italy, Corsica in France as different countries. We need a bit of respect here.”Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson was unable to point to any instance of similar comments being made to Mr Raab during the G7 conference, when EU leaders have mounted a united front in demanding the application of Mr Johnson’s protocol in full.“The point the foreign secretary was making is that he has heard views as reported this morning put to him previously,” said the spokesperson.The spokesperson added: “I think the people of the UK would want us to continually emphasise that that is not the correct way to view Northern Ireland. This is a single, united country.”Despite their differences over the protocol, Downing Street insisted relations between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron were cordial.“Their relationship continues to be constructive,” said the spokesperson. “You have seen images from the barbecue last night where they were having conversations on the beach. It is obviously in the UK’s interest to continue to work constructively with France and that’s what we want to achieve.” More

G7 leaders are launching an infrastructure plan for poorer countries to rival the might of China, but are being accused of failing the test of the climate emergency.Railways in Africa and wind farms in Asia are among projects set to receive financing under the “Build Back Better World” scheme – a counter to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative.It is designed to mobilise private-sector capital in areas such as climate, health and digital technology, to help meet the estimated $40 trillion needed by developing nations by 2035.China has stolen a march with its 2013 Belt and Road Initiative, which has seen more than 100 countries sign agreements to cooperate in railways, ports, highways and other infrastructure projects.It is seen as a vehicle for Communist China to expand its influence – an accusation Beijing dismisses as an “imperial hangover” from the days of western humiliation of its country.Boris Johnson made no mention of China as he announced the summit was poised to agree the plan, arguing it would also “accelerate the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology”.“The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global green industrial revolution, with the potential to transform the way we live,” the prime minister said.But the White House made clear its intentions, a senior official telling Reuters: “Until now we haven’t offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and our way of doing business.”On the summit’s last day, the G7 nations are under pressure to meet a 2009 pledge to spend $100bn a year to help the poorest countries adapt to the climate emergency.According to Oxfam, the G7 – which is meant to find 80 per cent of the fund – has committed to only $36bn of state climate finance by 2025, and only $8-10bn of that is for adaptation.Its leaders will hear from naturalist David Attenborough, who will plead with them to take the action badly needed to prevent “crippling” global heating.No 10 said there would be further pledges “to increase contributions to international climate finance to meet the target”, but green groups are gloomy.The G7 will also endorse a “nature compact” to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 by protecting at least 30 per cent of land and 30 per cent of ocean by the end of the decade.At Carbis Bay Mr Johnson launched a £500m Blue Planet Fund to help developing nations tackle unsustainable fishing, reduce marine pollution and protect coastal ecosystems.But Damian Green, the former de-facto Tory deputy prime minister, warned the UK’s deep overseas aid cuts were preventing decisive action.“There is no new money being announced, which is becoming a pattern after yesterday’s announcement on vaccines and girls’ education. It’s clear the UK’s cut from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent on aid has prevented finance ministers agreeing a financing plan,” he said.And John Sauven, Greenpeace’s executive director, said: “Just this week, the government U-turned on its promise to set a legally binding target of 2030 to halt the decline of nature.“Ministers continue to allow industrial fishing boats, like supertrawlers and bottom trawlers, to plunder our marine protected areas.” More

G7 leaders face some of the most important decisions in human history as they tackle the climate change crisis, Sir David Attenborough said.The environmentalist will address the leaders gathered in Cornwall on Sunday as they set out plans to reverse biodiversity loss and to fund infrastructure development around the world.Boris Johnson is also launching a £500 million “blue planet fund” to protect the world’s oceans and marine life.The leaders of the G7 – UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy – will make a series of environmental commitments in Carbis BaySir David will deliver a message to the G7, plus guests Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa, at a session on climate and nature.In advance of the session, he said: “The natural world today is greatly diminished. That is undeniable.“Our climate is warming fast. That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly plain to see.“But the question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether as a result of these intertwined facts we are on the verge of destabilising the entire planet?“If that is so, then the decisions we make this decade – in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations – are the most important in human history.”Mixed in with the environmental intentions of the G7 is an attempt to reassert the values of the leading democracies around the world.The “build back better for the world” plan will bring together G7 countries to develop an offer for high quality financing for vital infrastructure, from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia.The move is part of an attempt to counter Beijing’s “belt and road” initiative which has spread Chinese influence around the world.The new approach is intended to give developing countries access to more, better and faster finance, while accelerating the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology..The prime minister said: “Protecting our planet is the most important thing we as leaders can do for our people.“There is a direct relationship between reducing emissions, restoring nature, creating jobs and ensuring long-term economic growth.“As democratic nations we have a responsibility to help developing countries reap the benefits of clean growth through a fair and transparent system.“The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global Green Industrial Revolution, with the potential to transform the way we live.”G7 nations are expected to commit to almost halve their emissions by 2030 relative to 2010. The UK has already pledged to cut emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 on 1990 levels, the equivalent to a 58 per cent reduction on 2010 levels.The countries will set out the action they will take to slash carbon emissions, including measures like ending all unabated coal use as soon as possible, halting almost all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas and phasing out petrol and diesel cars.The G7 will also endorse a nature compact, aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 – including supporting the global target to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of land and oceans by the end of the decade.Mr Johnson has also launched the UK’s blue planet fund, with £500m to help countries including Ghana, Indonesia and Pacific island states tackle unsustainable fishing, protect and restore coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs, and reduce marine pollution.The fund will run for at least five years.Press Association More