Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds will both fly to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly – but not together.
It’s understood Ms Symonds will be attending the Climate Action Summit at the annual conference of world leaders, where Johnson will be under pressure to toughen Britain’s emissions targets.
But she will be travelling to the US separately from Mr Johnson, attending the Summit in her role as an advisor to Oceana, a US-based environmental group working to protect the world’s oceans.
While it will be the first overseas event the couple have both attended, they’re not expected to attend any events together in an official capacity.
A senior UK Government official said Ms Symonds attendance at the General Assembly would be at no cost to the taxpayer.
The Prime Minister will make his first speech to the summit, where he will come under pressure to outline concrete proposals for meeting tougher climate change targets.
UN Secretary-General António Guterreshas called on all leaders to come to the summit with “concrete, realistic plans” to enhance their emissions targets in a bid to limit global warming to 1.5°C and avert a global climate catastrophe.
The summit comes days after hundreds of thousands of people led by school children took part in protests across the UK, calling for urgent action to tackle climate change.
Children and students walked out of lessons and lectures and were joined by parents, campaigners and workers as part of global climate strikes – thought to be among the largest environmental protests in history.
Writing for the Mirror, Labour ’s Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner warned Mr Johnson “the eyes of the world’s schoolchildren will be on him,” when he arrives in New York next week.
And he urged the PM to stand up to the US President – a long-time climate sceptic – and not to “behave just like Donald Trump ’s Mini-Me”.
Much of the summit is likely to be dominated by discussions on Brexit and Iran.
A senior UK Government official said: “This is an important UNGA at an important time and the PM will be seeing a number of European leaders in New York.”
He is expected to have bilateral meetings with a host of world leaders including Donald Trump, Irish PM Leo Varadkar, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Donald Tusk.
He’s also expected to meet with the leaders of Turkey, Egypt and Jordan as well as the United Nations Secretary General.
Speaking ahead of the trip, Mr Johnson said: “This week at UNGA I will be raising three crucial issues.
“First, how Britain can work with our European and American allies on peace and stability in the Middle East.
“Second, how science and new technologies can help the world deal with climate change and the threats to biodiversity. Third, how post-Brexit Britain will be a better place to invest in and live in.”
Last month it was reported Ms Symonds had been refused a visitor’s permit to enter the USA.
It’s thought the online authorisation was scuppered by her travel history, having recently visited Somaliland, a nation which does not have diplomatic relations with the United States.
Declaring a visit to Somaliland is likely to get an online visa-waiver thrown out automatically because of political unrest in the region.
Ms Symonds was seen the following day at the US Embassy in London, where she would have had to go in person to arrange a formal visa.
