London:
Boris Johnson’s Downing Street team reportedly have an additional pressure on their planning for his upcoming visit to the US for the United Nations General Assembly next week, with it also marking the first overseas visit being undertaken by the British Prime Minister with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds.
While Symonds is officially said to be attending in her capacity as an advisor to a UN environmental group and the couple will be travelling separately, the protocol around a sitting PM’s schedule with an unmarried partner is something of a first for the agenda.
A senior government official was quoted in the UK media as stressing that Symonds’ visit for the UN Climate Action Summit was for work in her role as senior advisor for US-based environmental group Oceana working to protect the world’s oceans and that it would not be at the cost of the UK taxpayer.
She is, however, expected to be by the side of Johnson at the summit in New York as he makes his first speech to the summit, where he will come under pressure to outline concrete proposals for meeting tougher climate change targets.
Ahead of the visit, the UK PM said: This week at UNGA I will be raising three crucial issues. First, how Britain can work with our European and American allies on peace and stability in the Middle East.
Second, how science and new technologies can help the world deal with climate change and the threats to biodiversity. Third, how post-Brexit Britain will be a better place to invest in and live in,” he said.
In addition to Johnson from the UK government delegation, Indian-origin minister in charge of the Department for International Development Alok Sharma will also be in the US for the conference alongside UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab and international trade secretary Liz Struss.
Johnson is set for bilateral meetings with the US President Donald Trump as well as a Brexit focus with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
He is also expected to meet with the leaders of Turkey, Egypt and Jordan as well as the UN Secretary General.
