Downing Street has defended Theresa May not signing up to a joint declaration by Germany, France and Italy in opposition to Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord by stressing that other countries also chose a different path.
A source pointed out that Japan and Canada had not signed up to the letter and said the prime minister’s approach was “consistent as to how we approach dealings with international leaders”.
They said May first wanted to speak to the US president and claimed she was robust in her disappointment during a phone call.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, earlier accused May of a “dereliction of duty to our country and our planet” for failing to issue a stronger condemnation.
He told an election rally in York: “Given the chance to present a united front with our international partners, she has instead opted for silence and subservience to Donald Trump.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said Trump had called May to discuss the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement and said the door remained open to future US involvement in the deal.
“She [May] said the Paris agreement provides the right global framework for protecting the prosperity and security of future generations, while keeping energy affordable and secure for our citizens and businesses,” the spokesperson said.
“The president made clear that the door remains open to future US involvement in the agreement.”
They said the pair had also agreed on the importance of continued cooperation on wider energy issues.
The former Labour leader Ed Miliband said BBC Radio’s World at One that May was being “weak and feeble and spineless” for not being willing to condemn the US president.
When it was put to him that May has said she expressed disappointment about Trump’s decision, Miliband replied: “Disappointment is when your football team loses a match. It is not when somebody makes a devastating decision like this. America is one of the two largest emitters in the world, along with China. This decision was backed by every country in the world apart from Syria, which is in the middle of a civil war, and Nicaragua, which wanted us to go further. American leadership was so important to this.”
