Keir Starmer to promise 'global leadership' in UN General Assembly speech

(Alliance News) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address world leaders at the UN General ...

Alliance News 26 September, 2024 | 8:43AM
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(Alliance News) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address world leaders at the UN General Assembly and woo US business chiefs as his visit to New York continues.

The gathering of world leaders at the UN comes as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war and conflict rages in Ukraine.

The pime minister will use his speech to say the UK is returning to "responsible global leadership" because it is in British interests to address problems around the world.

"War, poverty and climate change all rebound on us at home. They make us less secure, they harm our economy, and they create migration flows on an unprecedented scale," he will say.

His speech on Thursday follows an intervention at the UN Security Council on Wednesday where he tore into Russia over its actions in Ukraine, saying Vladimir Putin was treating his own citizens as "bits of meat to fling into the grinder" in the conflict.

Starmer said Russia, which like the UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, was behind the "greatest violation of the [UN] charter in a generation".

"I wonder how Russia can show its face in this building," he added.

The UN gathering comes as violence in the Middle East continues to escalate, with fighting between Israel and Hezbollah across the Lebanon border and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The UK on Thursday joined the US, France and a host of allies in calling for an immediate temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, warning the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah is "intolerable".

In a joint statement, the 12-strong bloc calls for a 21-day ceasefire "to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement", as well as a ceasefire in Gaza.

The statement says: "The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8...presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation. This is in nobody's interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.

"It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety."

The statement calls for the governments of Lebanon and Israel to "endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately… and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement".

It continues: "We are then prepared to fully support all diplomatic efforts to conclude an agreement between Lebanon and Israel within this period, building on efforts over the last months, that ends this crisis altogether."

On Wednesday, Starmer had told the Security Council: "I'm calling for all parties to step back from the brink, to de-escalate. We need a ceasefire so this can be sorted out diplomatically."

Alongside the diplomatic activity, Starmer is also meeting US business leaders to push for investment in the UK.

Investment giant Blackstone Inc confirmed a GBP10 billion deal to develop Europe's largest AI data centre in Blyth, Northumberland.

Jon Gray, the firm's president, will be among the executives at a roundtable event hosted by Starmer on Thursday.

Other executives at the event include Adebayo Ogunlesi of Global Infrastructure Partners, Shemara Wikramanayake of Macquarie Group Ltd, Robin Vince of the Bank of New York Mellon Corp, William Huffman of Nuveen, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America Corp, The Carlyle Group's Harvey Schwartz, JPMorgan Chase & Co's Mary Callahan Erdoes, Citigroup Inc's Jane Fraser and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd's Hadley Peer Marshall.

This comes ahead of the UK's international investment summit in October, which the government hopes will attract hundreds of leading chief executives and financiers.

By David Hughes, PA Political Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Macquarie Group Ltd 232.30 AUD 0.04
Citigroup Inc 61.71 USD 2.20
JPMorgan Chase & Co 209.78 USD -0.20
Bank of America Corp 39.52 USD 0.69

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