President Cyril Ramaphosa and newly elected British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have expressed their shared commitment to deepening ties
07 Jul 2024
President Cyril Ramaphosa and newly elected British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have expressed their shared commitment to deepening relations between South Africa and the United Kingdom in several areas of cooperation, including the just energy transition.
Prime Minister Starmer placed a call with President Ramaphosa this morning, Sunday, 7 July 2024, to express his interest in working closely with South Africa as part of executing the strong mandate given to the Labour Party in the general election on Thursday, 4 July 2024.
President Ramaphosa congratulated Prime Minister Starmer on his electoral victory and said the Statement of Intent framing South Africa’s government of national unity incorporated many objectives shared by the two new administrations.
The two leaders viewed today’s discussion as a continuation of the deliberations in which they engaged in November 2022 when President Ramaphosa visited London on the first State Visit hosted by His Majesty King Charles III. Sir Keir Starmer was at that time the leader of the opposition Labour Party.
President Ramaphosa described the bilateral relationship as a special bond and said South Africa wished to see greater alignment with the UK at the national and multilateral level, with South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 in 2025 providing one such opportunity.
President Ramaphosa foresees closer cooperation with UK in the political, social, people-to-people, diplomatic, trade and investment and climate change domains.
The Prime Minister agreed that the G20 would be a platform for advancing shared interests in climate change, economic growth and the eradication of inequality.
Statement issued by Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to President Ramaphosa, The Presidency, 7 July 2024
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PM call with President Ramaphosa of South Africa: 7 July 2024
The Prime Minister spoke to South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, this morning.
7 July 2024
The Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] spoke to South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, this morning.
The President began by congratulating the Prime Minister on his election victory and said he welcomed this early opportunity to speak.
The leaders reflected on the significance of South Africa’s State Visit in 2022, noting that it was the first Official State visit of His Majesty King Charles III’s reign.
Turning to the strong bond between the UK and South Africa, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to strengthening and progressing the relationship between the two countries.
The Prime Minister and President agreed to continue working together on climate change, economic growth and opportunity and equality ahead of the G20 in South Africa next year.
They agreed to stay in touch and looked forward to speaking again soon.
Statement issued by Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, 7 July 2024
