Queen Elizabeth joins G7 leaders for family photo
Emmanuel Macron has told Boris Johnson to keep his word on Brexit in order to reset relations between the UK and France amid a stand-off over the impact of leaving the EU on Northern Ireland.
At a meeting on Saturday, the French president reportedly said the two countries had common interests but the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU last year had to be respected.
It came as leaders from the G7 launched a new plan to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Covid-19 crisis.
The so-called ‘Carbis Bay Declaration‘ will see the UK create a new animal vaccine centre aimed at preventing future diseases crossing from creatures to humans.
The declaration will incorporate the recommendations of expert findings, which highlight that the first 100 days after the identification of an epidemic threat are crucial to preventing it from becoming a pandemic.
What do leaders need to do at the G7 summit to save our rapidly-heating planet?
Environmental activists have descended on Cornwall this week in order to make sure that climate change is high on the agenda at the G7 meeting of world leaders.
The world’s worsening climate is expected to be one of the major talking points at the three-day summit, but what exactly do leaders need to do in order to tackle the crisis?
Our climate correspondent, Daisy Dunne, has the full story below:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 10:45
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has more details below on Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Boris Johnson earlier this morning:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 10:13
Boris Johnson has hailed the Carbis Bay Declaration, which is aimed at preventing future pandemics, as a “proud and historic moment” for the G7:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 10:06
Macron ‘offers reset’ to Johnson on UK-France relations amid Brexit stand-off
French president Emmanuel Macron has offered to reset relations with the UK so long as Boris Johnson stands by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement he signed with the EU, according to a Reuters report.
Relations with the bloc have soured since the UK formally left the EU last year, with Mr Macron becoming a vocal critic of the British government’s actions on the Brexit deal.
At a G7 meeting on Saturday, the French president told Mr Johnson that the two countries had common interests, but that ties could only improve if the PM kept his word on Brexit.
“The president told Boris Johnson there needed to be a reset of the Franco-British relationship,” a source for Reuters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
“This can happen provided that he keeps his word with the Europeans.”
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 09:49
Before his meetings with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel this morning, Boris Johnson was caught on camera going for a jog and a swim at Carbis Bay in Cornwall – part of his fitness routine following his hospitalisation with Covid-19 last year:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 09:34
Our deputy political editor, Rob Merrick, has more details below about foreign secretary Dominic Raab’s warning to the EU over the Brexit stand-off on Northern Ireland:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 09:22
US to push for G7 commitment to global infrastructure plan to rival China
The G7 will announce a new global infrastructure plan this weekend to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a senior official for the Biden administration has said.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the US would also push other G7 leaders for “concrete action on forced labour” in China, including criticism of Beijing in their final communique.
“This is not just about confronting or taking on China,” the official told Reuters.
“But until now we haven’t offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and our way of doing business.”
China’????s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure scheme launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping involving development and investment initiatives stretching from Asia to Europe and beyond.
More than 100 countries have signed agreements with China to cooperate in BRI projects like railways, ports, highways and other infrastructure.
However, western leaders have raised concerns about China’s record on human rights and the country’s growing influence as a world power.
The proposed G7 plan would involve raising hundreds of billions in public and private money to help close a $40 trillion infrastructure gap in poorer countries by 2035, the official said.
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 09:11
Photos have been shared from Boris Johnson’s meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron this morning, amid tensions over the implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 08:50
Raab says UK will not allow EU to ‘threaten’ integrity of union post-Brexit
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said that the government will not allow the EU to undermine the integrity of the UK over the implementation of the Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.
Boris Johnson is due to hold a series of meetings with French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit, with the issue of the protocol expected to be high on the agenda.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Raab told the BBC Radio 4’s Today show: “They can be more pragmatic about the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that is win-win or they can be bloody-minded and purist about it in which case I am afraid we will not allow the integrity of the UK to be threatened.”
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 08:31
The Queen jokes with G7 leaders at royal reception
The Queen shared a joke with G7 world leaders at an evening reception on Friday as they gathered for a socially distanced group photo following a day of political talks.
Three generations of the royal family were present for the event staged at the Eden Project in Cornwall for presidents and prime ministers and their partners.
You can find the full story below:
Conrad Duncan12 June 2021 08:17