Brexit, climate change on Johnson’s UNGA agenda

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

London,  Brexit, climate change and instability in the Middle East will be on the agenda when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets other world leaders on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York next week.

Johnson is slated to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk, among other leaders, the BBC reported on Saturday.

Johnson will arrive in New York on Sunday.

Johnson and the other world leaders are expected to discuss a series of ideas put forward by the UK on Thursday aimed at breaking the current deadlock, according to a UK government official.

“What this gives the Prime Minister an opportunity to do is to talk to them at leader level about what some of our proposals are,” the government official added.

“At the same time we are under no illusions that there’s an awful lot of work to do.”

Johnson has said he had three priorities for the upcoming trip, the BBC reported.

“First, how Britain can work with our European and American allies on peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.

“Second, how science and new technologies can help the world deal with climate change and the threats to biodiversity.

“And third, how post-Brexit Britain will be a better place to invest in and live in.”

Although Brexit is not officially on the agenda of the UNGA, another senior UK government official said they were “sure it will come up”.