BETA filters Key Facts (2) Rishi Sunak (3) According to Downing Street, Rishi Sunak is “certain” there is growing opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine among G20 countries. As my colleague Jessica Elgot reports, in his speech at the summit’s opening session, Sunak said that Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine had “profound implications” for the world and that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, should he was willing to come to the G20 to face other world leaders. The prime minister’s spokesman told reporters this morning (UK time) that Sunak is “convinced that there is a growing number of countries that oppose” Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The spokesperson continued: It would not be right to speak for other world leaders, but there was certainly very strong condemnation from various quarters. I think the prime minister, as you’ve seen, has been very honest and forthright in his assessment of the problems we’re seeing at the moment. Downing Street released a photo of Sunak beaming at Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the summit’s opening session. The photo looks routine (although it inadvertently highlights the fact that Sunak is someone who is never going to win a menacing eye competition – he should take a lesson from Theresa May). But Labor MP Chris Bryant doesn’t approve. No. 10 is simply childish. Lavrov understands only one thing, defeat on the battlefield. He knows Sunak has consistently refused to deal with risky Russian money in London because his own family benefited. The financial crime bill still doesn’t do the trick. https://t.co/R1fAbE9w3H — Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) November 15, 2022 Updated at 09:50 GMT
Sunak meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Rishi Sunak had a meeting at the G20 summit with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. According to No 10, Sunak did not refer to the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which is believed to have been ordered by Prince Mohammed, but boosted women’s rights and freedom in Saudi Arabia in general. After the meeting, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: They had a fairly lengthy discussion about some of the work Saudi Arabia has done in recent years to improve social reforms. They spoke about issues such as women’s rights and the need for more progress in freedoms in the kingdom. Asked if Sunak raised the 2018 murder, the spokesman said: “He did not raise specific individual cases. That’s not usually the norm in things like this.” The spokesperson continued: They had a good conversation. I think it was a frank discussion about the importance of the relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabia. Rishi Sunak meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the G20 summit. Photo: Leon Neal/AP Updated at 09:34 GMT
Iain Duncan Smith tells Sunak he would be “absolutely wrong” to soften his stance on China
Good morning. Rishi Sunak is in Bali and this morning (or this afternoon Bali time – that’s eight hours ahead) will be recording a series of TV interviews, which should start playing before lunch. Sunak had a long speech (figuratively speaking for an informal, standup press briefing) on his flight to Indonesia, and one line that came out was that he is backing off from Liz Truss’s plan to re-categorize China as a threat. My colleague Jessica Elgot has the story here. Ten years ago, when the Conservative party prioritized trade with China over human rights concerns, this would not have been controversial. But now MPs who criticize China in the House of Commons tend to be Tories, and there is a significant faction in the party that sees China primarily, not as a trading partner, but as a hostile state and a threat to national security. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former party leader, is one of the leading figures in this group and this morning told TalkTV he was concerned that Sunak’s position amounted to “appeasement” of China. He said: [Sunak] he said in the summer, unequivocally, that he considered China a systemic threat. So what we’re seeing here right now, I think, is the beginning of a step away from his original position… Everything in government is in flux, the way we treat Chinese diplomats here, those who beat peaceful protesters in Manchester, the way we deal with Confucius Institutes spying on Chinese students, or even those fake Chinese police departments threatening Chinese people expatriates and trying to bring them back to China, [from the government’s stance]. These are all aggressive moves, and it’s time to label them for what they are, a threat, but I hope it’s not going to backfire, that would be completely wrong. And it would really be appeasement of China, which is happening in the government right now. Here is the agenda for the day. 9 a.m. (UK time): Rishi Sunak records a series of interviews at the G20 summit in Bali. They should start appearing on TV or digital from around 10am. 11.30am: Downing Street briefs lobby. 11.30am: Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, takes questions in the Commons. After 12.30pm: MPs begin debating a Labor motion condemning Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng ‘for mismanaging the economy while in office, which resulted in an average rise of £500 a month on mortgage payments for families across the UK’ and saying they should lose their ministerial allowances. Voting will take place around 16:00. 2.00pm: James Cleverley, the foreign secretary, briefs the European scrutiny committee on the UK’s new relationship with Europe. 3pm: Catherine Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, gives evidence to the Commons standards committee. I’m trying to follow the comments below the line (BTL) but it’s impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, include “Andrew” somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I try to answer questions and if they’re of general interest I’ll post the question and answer above the line (ATL), though I can’t promise I’ll do it for everyone. If you want to get my attention quickly, it’s probably best to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow. Alternatively you can email me at [email protected] Updated at 09:33 GMT
