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Johnson infuriated after Macron suggested Northern Ireland not part of UK
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Looming sausage trade war makes G7 barbecue sizzle
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G7 leaders called ‘hypocrites’ for attending outdoor events
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Coronavirus latest news: We don’t want to ‘yo-yo’ in and out of measures, says Raab
Emmanuel Macron has said he wants Britain to respect its post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union.
The French President made the comments at a G7 press conference after responding to questions about the “sausage war” trade dispute between the UK and EU.
Mr Macron said: “My wish, my will is that we succeed – we succeed collectively – to put into operation what we decided upon a few months ago.”
He added: “I’m doing things very calmly.”I believe that as far as this subject matter is concerned everybody has got to come back to reason.”
It comes after Boris Johnson pledged to protect the “territorial integrity” of the United Kingdom after Emmanuel Macron suggested Northern Ireland was not a full part of the UK.
In response Dominic Raab said EU leaders needed to show some “respect” and stop the “offensive” suggestion that Northern Ireland isn’t part of the UK.
Mr Johnson added: “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.”
Follow the latest updates below.
03:25 PM
Vaccines Minister asks if the UK dares to dream
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has shared a photograph from the stands at Wembley after England beat Croatia in their first game of Euro 2020.
“Three points!” Mr Zahawi tweeted, sharing the image of himself wearing an England shirt and a cap on backwards.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader and shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, tweeted: “Solid performance and a great result. When is it okay for us to dare to dream? Now?”
02:37 PM
Police have responded to disruptions in Devon and Cornwall
02:20 PM
The G7 on China
President Macron says the G7 is “not hostile to China”, but adds that the superpower must stick to WTO rules, and adds “China is also a power with which we have some disagreements when it comes to forced labour and human rights “.
Meanwhile Joe Biden says: “We’re in a contest not with China per se, but in a contest with autocratic governments around the world as to whether we can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century.”
02:12 PM
G7 made ‘great commitments’ to phase out climate change
Boris Johnson said that “great commitments” had been made at the G7 summit to try and phase out climate change.
The Prime Minister said richer nations must press on with efforts to help support the developing world in tackling climate change.
He said: “We, as the rich nations of the earth, we need to build our credibility with those countries in asking them to make cuts in CO2 because this country which started the industrial revolution is responsible for a huge budget of carbon that is already in the atmosphere.
“We are now asking other countries to make a change.”
02:06 PM
England game and taking the knee
Boris Johnson has sidestepped calls to condemn fans who booed England players for taking the knee.
Asked whether he condemned fans who reportedly booed at the start of England’s 2020 Euro match with Croatia at Wembley, Mr Johnson said: “Everybody should cheer for England.”
Asked if he would take the knee were he ever to be picked for England, the Prime Minister said there was no chance of him making the national side.
“I live in hope … but that’s not going to happen,” he said.
“It is a hypothesis, probably one of the most implausible hypothesises yet constructed of all the hypothetical questions that have ever been thrown my way.”
01:42 PM
PM speech has finished
A lot of ground was covered by Boris Johnson in his closing speech at the G7 Summit. Interestingly he claimed the “vast majority” of talks he had had in Cornwall were not about Brexit.
Asked if Brexit had left 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.”
01:36 PM
Indo-Pacific relations
Mr Johnson says: “This is the area of the world where the next 20-30 years we will see the most dynamic, economic growth. The bulk of middle classes rising. There are some tensions we think can be allayed by proper observance of the rules based international system we believe. “
He insists: “The G7 is determined to do that.”
01:31 PM
For more info on June 21, we have to wait and see
The Telegraph’s Political Editor tried again to get Boris Johnson to give more insight into the June 21 reopening, but once again he refuses to give more details ahead of tomorrow.
Asked about patents on the vaccine, Mr Johnson says “it’s crucial to build up manufacturing capacity around the world, particularly in Africa”.
He says: “We should be sharing knowledge while protecting the incentives for innovation. You’ve got to accomplish both things at once.”
He adds: “The right thing to go is to sell these vaccines at cost. We are getting lots of jabs into peoples arms by insisting they are sold at cost. “
01:27 PM
PM asked about previous comments on Pangolins
Boris Johnson previously referred to “demented” Chinese medicines and Pangolins.
He said: “I think there is a problem with zoonotic diseases. It’s the practice prevalent in some parts of Asia, of farming wild animals. That is really where the risks are. At the moment it doesn’t look like this disease of zoonotics came from a lab. Anyone sensible would keep an open mind. “
Mr Johnson added that “we are having a new treaty on pandemic preparedness”.
He said: “One of the things we agreed to do was strength the WHO and make sure their inspectors have powers similar to those used by OPCW … weapons inspectors who can go on the scene and determine what is going on.
Hopefully, in the future, a lot of this obscurity will be dispelled. “
01:20 PM
Carbon figures
The PM says “this country that started the Industrial Revolution is responsible for a lot of carbon in the atmosphere” as he adds the UK, as a rich nation, must help others bring their carbon emissions down.
“I’m not going to pretend that our work is done,” he added.
“We are going to be on everybody’s case from now and into the autumn to make sure we get the world in the right place for COP.”
01:17 PM
“We are going flat out”, says PM
Boris Johnson says this vaccine has “only been invented recently” and he adds that “of the 1.5 bn vaccines distributed around the world, half a billion of them are as a result of actions taken by UK government”.
“We are going flat out. We are producing vaccines as fast as we can and distributing them as fast as we can.”
He adds: “We set a target to vaccinate the world by the end of next year. “
01:15 PM
PM tries to sidestep diplomatic row with France
The PM declined to comment on Dominic Raab’s comments earlier that the language from the French President over Northern Ireland was “offensive”.
“We will do whatever it takes to protect territorial integrity of UK,” Mr Johnson says.
01:13 PM
Questions from the media
Boris Johnson is asked about what unlocking on June 21st will look like.
He says: “We are continuing to look at the data. No final decision has been taken. The right time to fill everyone in on what we are doing on June 21 is Step 4, is tomorrow. “
He is also asked about Brexit.
“The vast majority of conversations we’ve had over last three or four days have been about other subjects. There has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries.”
The PM adds he couldn’t have asked for a more “cooperative or energetic spirit from our friends”.
01:10 PM
Cop 26 will galvanize climate change, PM says
Boris Johnson adds “we can’t talk about how important values are,” or “impose” values on others.
He says: “As the G7 they need to demonstrate the benefits of democracy and human rights to the rest of the world.”
He thanks the police and all the people in Cornwall for their hospitality for making the summit happen.
01:06 PM
People are safe because of British vaccines, Boris Johnson says
Mr Johnson says: “Today over half a billion people are safe because of AZ vaccine. That number is rising every day.”
He adds that the vaccine is “being sold at cost to the world and was designed for ease of use”.
The PM stresses that AZ are “making zero profit on that vaccine”.
He says conversations this week went beyond the pandemic and that they were all in agreement that we must “build back better”.
Mr Johnson adds that a new Global Pandemic Radar will be developed to stop pandemics in the future taking hold as this one has.
01:03 PM
PM begins closing speech of G7 summit
Boris Johnson says it’s the first meeting of global leaders in nearly 2 years.
He says he hopes they have lived upto some of the most optimistic ambitions regarding the pandemic.
He adds he is sorry the England football team can’t watch his speech about the triumphs of the G7.
01:00 PM
PM to address nation
Boris Johnson is due to address the nation imminently. We will be reporting the key bits of his speech here.
Political Editor Ben Riley-Smith tweets an image of the stage:
12:28 PM
Charities and campaigners criticise lack of ambition at the G7 summit
Kirsty McNeill, speaking on behalf of Crack the Crises coalition, said: “Leaders at this summit have failed to deliver either the vaccine doses and investment needed to end the Covid pandemic or the real action it will take to stem the tide of climate change.
“This is an historic missed opportunity that leaves people everywhere dangerously exposed to these crises.
“The whole world needed this to be the moment when leaders finally agreed to get to grips with the Covid crisis and kickstart a global recovery that protects both planet and people.
“Instead, with Boris Johnson happy to host the summit but unwilling to lead by example, we were left without the financing, urgency and action we needed, and that will cost lives.
“Sadly, too many leaders arrived at the summit with good intentions but without their chequebooks.”
She said “warm words and cosy fires on the beach simply don’t cut it when the world is ablaze” and urged Mr Johnson to make amends at the Cop26 United Nations climate summit he hosts in November.
11:56 AM
Euros needed after trauma of pandemic, London Mayor says
Sadiq Khan said the excitement of the Euros was needed after “the darkness and trauma” of the pandemic he arrived at the Trafalgar Square fanzone to cheer on England in their first game against Croatia.
Mr Khan praised the “heroic” key workers, hundreds of whom have been invited to watch the game in the specially-created zone on Sunday.
“We’ve invited our amazing key workers to thank them for all they’ve done for our city,” he said.
“They’ve gone above and beyond over the last 18 months … this is our way to thank them.
“After the darkness and trauma of the last months we need this to uplift our spirits.
“You can tell how excited I am I’m one of the first people here … bring it home. It’ll be nice to see people face to face, facial expressions, body language.
“The best thing about football is that it brings people together.”
Addressing the England team directly, he said: “To Gareth (Southgate) and the entire England squad, London is behind you. Bring it home.”
11:32 AM
Sir David Attenborough: ‘We have the skills to tackle climate change, but we need the global will’
Boris Johnson has tweeted a video of Sir David Attenborough calling for a ‘global will’ in order to beat climate change.
The PM added: “That’s why I’m urging G7 countries to drive a global Green Industrial Revolution to help developing nations reap the benefits of clean growth as we #BuildBackGreener.”
11:22 AM
BBQ was covid secure, No 10 insists
Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and other world leaders behaved in a Covid-secure way at a beach barbecue and RAF Red Arrows flypast on Saturday night, Downing Street said.
No 10 said there were fewer than 30 guests, the event was outside and all participants in the summit have a daily testing regime.
“The event last night was done in an entirely Covid-secure way within the existing rules,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“This was an informal gathering of the G7 leaders and rightly it is held in private … but you can see it was a relaxed atmosphere and gave the leaders a chance to discuss outside of a formal setting.”
The dinner was cooked by Simon Stallard, from the Hidden Hut in Portscatho, and included beef, lobster and other local fish.
11:17 AM
‘We must learn to live with virus’, senior Tories urge
Mark Harper added that now that “the most vulnerable have been protected with their vaccine doses, we have to learn to live with this virus rather than endure seasonal on-off lockdowns and restrictions”.
He pointed to the latest PHE data which shows the UK has effective vaccines and that an “increase in cases is not being matched by a similar rise in hospitalisations, which they said was ‘encouraging’ and shows ‘the vaccination programme continues to mitigate the impact of this variant’”.
“The effectiveness of our vaccines at preventing hospitalisation means unlocking on 21 June could proceed safely,” he said.
“Any decision to delay will be a political choice.”
11:08 AM
Any delay to June 21 means restrictions in later seasons
Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, has warned that any delay to June 21, despite a rapid rollout of effective vaccines, “points to restrictions in the autumn and winter, when respiratory diseases increase and the NHS is always under more pressure”.
Mr Harper said such an outcome would be “devastating for business confidence, people’s livelihoods and wellbeing”.
“Delaying 21 June will send a clear message to employers and workers that, when Covid cases increase this (and every) autumn and winter, they cannot rely on Govt to keep our society open,” he posted in a Twitter thread.
10:45 AM
Priest says Biden told him he hoped matters from summit come to fruition
President Joe Biden has told a Catholic priest “many serious matters” were discussed at this year’s G7 summit.
He and First Lady Jill Biden attended morning Mass in Cornwall on the final day of the gathering of world leaders (see post 10.35).
Father Philip Dyson said he had not been given advance warning that the president and his wife would be joining them for the service.
“We realised people were coming with security so I thought maybe the president would be coming along so we just welcomed him,” he said.
He admitted he was slightly nervous while conducting the service.
“It’s the President of the United States of America,” he said. “It’s a great occasion to welcome him into our parish, into the church, and it’s lovely to know he made the time in his busy schedule in order to come to Mass.”
The priest added that he had managed to have a “quick word” with Mr Biden.
“I welcomed him to Cornwall and he said he was enjoying his time here and there were many serious matters they were discussing and just hope it’s going to come to fruition,” he said.
“I think the G7 has been such a great occasion. The scripture readings were appropriate because it was about creation and climate, and things growing, so it absolutely suited the occasion.”
10:23 AM
Macron: ‘What we need is cooperation’
Last night the French President tweeted a video of himself chatting alongside President Biden earlier this morning. Biden described the two leaders as being “on the same page”, while Macron said his counterpart demonstrated that “leadership is partnership”.
You can see the full video here:
10:00 AM
Talks with Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in about the Indo-Pacific region
The PM also met with Mr Moon this morning where they set out their commitment to increasing UK-South Korea links across trade, security and defence.
The Downing Street spokesman added that the UK would continue to strengthen its ties with the Indo-Pacific region.
Mr Moon, who has been the president since May 2017, is seen as a political lame duck with around a year left in his single five-year term left to run. There were initially high hopes in the early months of Mr Moon’s administration that he would achieve a breakthrough in relations with North Korea, but that initiative has since ground to a halt.
The spokesman added that the PM “reiterated the UK’s full support for Seoul’s position on the situation in the Korean Peninsula”.
“The leaders agreed on the value of increasing girls’ access to education around the world and the Prime Minister welcomed President Moon’s drive to support this goal through the Global Partnership for Education,” the spokesman added.
“They also discussed the importance of driving forward action on addressing climate change and preserving biodiversity ahead of COP26 in November, by moving away from coal and working together on a new green industrial revolution.”
09:49 AM
PM meets with South African President Ramaphosa
Boris Johnson held talks meetings with the South African leader earlier this morning, where they agreed to work to strengthen their relationship, “including through enhancing our trade partnership and investment links”.
The Downing Street spokesman added that Mr Johnson explained “the work the UK is doing to increase access to vaccines worldwide, which includes our financial contribution to COVAX and our recent announcement that the UK will donate 100 million surplus vaccines in the next year”.
He said: “The leaders agreed there is an urgent need to expand vaccine manufacturing capacity around the world and increase access.
“The Prime Minister and President Ramaphosa discussed the need for the G7, and other large economies, to support clean and sustainable growth in the developing world.
“They also talked about a number of foreign policy issues including Zimbabwe.”
09:35 AM
Sunday Mass
Joe Biden, an Irish American and the country’s second Catholic president, attended mass in Cornwall this morning.
After a short drive, the motorcade made an unannounced stop at the Sacred Heart and St. Ia Catholic Church where Mr Biden and his wife went to the service.
09:18 AM
Northern Ireland tensions
Away from coronavirus and re-opening, the other big topic of conversation at the G7 summit has been Northern Ireland.
However, talks in Cornwall between Boris Johnson and key EU figures have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough in the dispute over the implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in Northern Ireland.
As reported today far from triggering a breakthrough in the stand-off over customs checks there, the bilateral meetings triggered a wave of critical media briefings from all sides.
It comes after the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Friday that “all options are on the table” when asked whether he would waive checks on meat imports if no agreement is reached by the end of this month.
Speaking this morning Dominic Raab cautioned of having “serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it was some kind of different country to the UK”.
He said: “It is not only offensive, it has real world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland, creates great concern, great consternation.”
08:59 AM
UK must proceed ‘carefully and cautiously’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has the media round this morning and appeared to be lining the public up for a delay.
He told Sky News that the Government needed “to sift the data very carefully”.
“We have done a great job with the vaccine rollout but, as the PM said, we want to proceed irreversibly. That means we need to do it carefully and cautiously,” he said.
Mr Raab added that the UK is “in a race to roll out the second dose of the vaccine against the variants”.
08:51 AM
Politics today
While all eyes are on the G7 summit this weekend, Boris Johnson cannot escape the mounting pressure over the June 21st reopening. Later this afternoon the Prime Minister will give a press conference where he is expected to announce that the final easing of controls for June 21 will be delayed. The blog will cover the conference at 2pm.
