UK to pursue full G20 agenda despite US absence

The UK says it will press ahead with its full G20 agenda in SA this weekend despite the US boycott. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to attend the leaders’ summit.

Speaking to Business Day ahead of the B20 and G20 leaders’ summit, UK high commissioner Antony Phillipson said Washington’s decision not to send anyone — followed by a formal notice that it will accept only a chair’s summary, not a negotiated declaration — “changes the dynamic” but does not diminish the value of the forum.

As recently as 10 days ago, G20 delegations were planning around the anticipated attendance of US vice-president JD Vance. However, President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled all participation, claiming “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered”, adding, “No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”

Even so, Phillipson stressed London would not scale back its commitment. “It’s not as if we’ve said, ‘There’s no point turning up,’” he said. “We will pursue UK geostrategic, geo-economic and bilateral interests as far as we possibly can.”

Phillipson believes the US’s early refusal to sign a leaders’ declaration may paradoxically “allow others to focus on what we want in the chair’s summary”.

The US delegation participated in earlier G20 work streams, including the energy transition working group in Durban, where, Business Day understands from other sources, they were highly obstructive, even objecting to the word “transition”.

But, Phillipson said, “We still came up with a chair’s statement and also a consensus on clean cooking, and it still commits those who want to work on these issues. And I think we [the UK] will continue to make the case that there needs to be global action on energy and on climate issues.”

He cited the UK’s role as a core member of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) as a key example of its commitment. The US withdrew from the partnership at the beginning of the year.

“The Just Energy Transition Partnership still exists, and that includes the Netherlands and Denmark, who joined after we formed it back in 2021. We are still working with the SA government and the private sector to support SA’s ambitions for a just energy transition,” Phillipson said.

For the UK, a “successful” G20 rests on three elements: reinforcing multilateralism, deepening bilateral ties with SA, and making productive use of time to meet other attendees.

London wants to use the summit to reaffirm commitments to tackling global economic challenges, climate finance, debt vulnerabilities and poverty, while strengthening partnerships with the Global South. With SA chairing the last in a four-year run of Global South G20 presidencies, the summit is viewed in London as a key moment to build trust.

It will also anchor the UK prime minister’s bilateral programme, including a major SA-UK initiative on Friday when they co-host a Global Fund replenishment summit.

The Global Fund, the world’s largest financing mechanism for combating HIV/Aids, TB and malaria, is entering its eighth replenishment cycle. UK-SA co-operation on it dates back to February and has involved joint roadshows in New York, London and other capitals.

With COP30 under way in Brazil, the high commissioner acknowledged that some feel trust has been “lost or eroded” as developed countries repeatedly failed to meet their commitment to provide developing nations — including SA — with $100bn a year in climate finance. He argued the G20 is the right platform to demonstrate credible progress.

The UK arrives at the G20 with substantial stakes in SA’s economy. It is already the country’s largest international investor, with £24bn invested — half of all UK investment in Africa.

Trade between the two countries exceeds £11bn a year, making SA the UK’s most important trading partner on the continent. UK companies employ more than 100,000 South Africans.