G20 Summit 2027: Objectives
House of Lords · Lords Chamber · 17 Sep 2026 · 30 speeches · Official Report
Question
Tabled by
Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
To ask His Majesty’s Government what objectives they have set for the G20 summit in 2027.
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in the name of my noble friend.
My Lords, the process for determining the UK G20 presidency objectives is under way. Next year’s presidency is a valuable opportunity to demonstrate effective UK international leadership and reinforce global economic stability, which is essential for working people in the UK. In the near term, our focus is on engaging with the US G20 presidency ahead of the Miami summit in December. In line with standard practice, we will communicate our objectives following the Miami summit.
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
I thank my noble friend for her Answer. Could she say what we will be looking at in particular around the rights of women and their needs?
The UK is very committed to the rights of women and to addressing this issue on an international level. However, the process for determining the UK G20 presidency policy agenda is currently under way. In the near term, our focus is on engaging with the US G20 presidency ahead of the Miami summit in December. In line with standard practice, we will communicate our policy priorities following the Miami summit.
Could the Minister tell us what progress the Government are aiming to secure at the G20 summit on tackling international fraud and, in particular, bringing greater transparency over who really owns and benefits from offshore companies, especially in the light of the decision of the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands to implement only a legitimate interest, rather than a full public access, register of beneficial interests?
I am pleased to report that the noble Lord, Lord Hanson, is leading a summit on this issue. I am happy to write to the noble Lord with further details.
My Lords, can the Minister tell us what priority will be given during the G20 summit to the nearly 120 million people who are displaced in the world today, and in particular whether the war in Sudan, which has led to another 12 million displaced people, will be discussed?
The Government are doing as much as they can on the issue that the noble Lord raises. It has been a priority of this Government since we came into office.
My Lords, I got the message from the Minister that she is not able to tell us what is going to be on the Government’s list on priorities, so can I just make a suggestion? All I am asking is that she will at least say she will go away and consider it. Given the leadership we have demonstrated since 2023 on artificial intelligence, and the global respect for the AI Security Institute, this would be a great opportunity for the UK to show international leadership on regulating AI globally. I urge the Minister to think about that as we put our policy objectives together.
I am very happy to take the noble Lord’s suggestion away. As he will be aware from the debate we had on this earlier in the week, the UK is already demonstrating international leadership on this issue. We are considering all policy areas, particularly those on which we can show considerable international leadership.
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, is taking part remotely; I invite him to speak.
My Lords, with the whole G20 economic agenda being overshadowed by the prospect of escalating conflict worldwide, are we not uniquely placed, with our Foreign Office’s substantial hinterland of expertise in diplomacy, to help reduce turmoil in the world by acting as brokers in the resolution of conflict? Why not develop, as an objective, a new peace agenda? We could start with at least considering proposals as set out on Tuesday during the Statement on Ukraine. Let the Labour Government lead the way on these matters.
My noble friend will not be surprised to hear me say that we continue to steadfastly condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In relation to peace across the globe, we continue to work through international fora, such as the UN, on agendas around peace.
My Lords, climate change is a world problem. Where is that going to stand on the agenda, or is it, in fact, going to be threaded through virtually every topic, as it affects every area of our life and security?
I agree with the noble Baroness that the issues relating to climate change should be threaded through all our discussions on an international scale. I am happy to feed that back with other issues that noble Lords wish to raise on the policy agendas that are currently being worked through. We will report back on the overall presidency policy agenda in due course.
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the UK presidency of the G20 is a historic opportunity for action on debt? Will she consider the call to champion changes to the common framework laid out in the African Union’s common African position on debt?
The UK already has an existing ask of other countries in relation to strengthening the G20 common framework. I will feed back the suggestion, as with other suggestions from noble Lords.
My Lords, further to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Alton, the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis, in Sudan, was not mentioned in the Government’s agenda for the G20 presidency. Surely, as the UN Security Council penholder for the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, we will raise this. What are our ambitions in the G20 presidency for that crisis?
The UK has displayed its ambitions in relation to this in Geneva and at the UN. I apologise to your Lordships’ House for not being able to say exactly what will be on the agenda for the UK G20’s presidency. We intend to use our presidency in an ambitious way. However, specific policy and operational details remain under active review, and I look forward to updating the House in due course.
My Lords, does the Minister feel that our national credibility at this very important summit will be greatly enhanced if by then we will have reached the promised 3% defence target?
The UK has a clear target in relation to defence spending, which, from memory, I am not sure that His Majesty’s Opposition necessarily did when they were on these Benches. We continue to be committed to increasing defence spending along the lines that we have previously committed to. Ministers from His Majesty’s Government will update your Lordships’ House on progress on that.
My Lords, on the first question that was put, on the women’s agenda, given that there has been so much rollback on women’s rights, particularly in Afghanistan, would the Minister please make sure that that is at the forefront of our agenda, that we are able to have the wider discussions, and that we hold the conference that my noble friend Lord Cameron did when he was Prime Minister?
We are committed to improving the rights of women on the global stage. This issue has been raised at the UN General Assembly and it will be one that the Government return to regularly.
My Lords, although we have, sadly, reduced our overseas development aid budget, we nevertheless have this leadership role. Would the Minister at least consider joining with other countries to pool our resources to make sure that we look after the most needy places in the world-whether it is Afghanistan, Sudan or, in particular, Palestine and Gaza-or at least commit to, in the long term, returning to 0.7% commitment? It also benefits our defence and security when we invest in overseas development aid?
The Government are committed to the 0.7% commitment on a long-term basis, when fiscal circumstances allow. We will continue to work collaboratively across international partnerships to ensure that our spending is focused on where it can have the greatest impact, supporting the most vulnerable and advancing our modern development approach.
My Lords, on 9 September, the Prime Minister said that national security “cannot come at the expense of social security ”.-[ Official Report , Commons, 9/9/26; col. 1036.] What kind of message is that to our allies in the G20?
The noble Baroness has taken something completely out of context. We are committed to the G20 and to increasing our defence spending and global security. We will play a full part in this as a member of the G20 and through other international fora.