Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to focus on making deals with other nations on his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa , as he said it is “really important to be” at the gathering shunned by Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister will touch down in Johannesburg on Friday, just days before the crunch Budget is widely expected to bring tax rises.

He will use the trip to announce £400 million worth of deals for trains, planes and submarines, No 10 said.

The November 22-23 leaders’ summit was threatened to be overshadowed by the boycott of the US president and American officials over widely rejected claims that white people are being persecuted in South Africa.

But South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said discussions were taking place about a change of mind on US particip

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