President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS/Supplied)
- Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a call to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday.
- Both leaders committed to strengthening relations between the two countries.
- Starmer officially took office on Saturday following a landslide victory for the Labour Party in recent elections.
Newly elected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Cyril Ramaphosa have expressed interest in the two countries working together as they usher in new administrations.
In a statement on Sunday, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Starmer called Ramaphosa on Sunday morning to express his interest in working closely with South Africa following the Labour Party’s landslide election win, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
Magwenya added in the phone call, the two statesmen expressed a shared commitment of deepening relations between the two countries in several areas of cooperation, including the just energy transition.
“President Ramaphosa congratulated Prime Minister Starmer on his electoral victory and said the statement of intent framing South Africa’s government of national unity incorporated many objectives shared by the two new administrations.
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“The two leaders viewed today’s discussion as a continuation of the deliberations in which they engaged in November 2022 when President Ramaphosa visited London on the first state visit hosted by His Majesty King Charles III.
“Sir Keir Starmer was at that time the leader of the opposition Labour Party,” he said.
On Saturday, Ramaphosa, also in a statement, congratulated Starmer on his election win, and said he looked forward to South Africa and the UK enhancing the strong, historic relations between the two countries.
Newly elected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“South Africa and the UK are strategic partners with a broad and vibrant relationship, led by a commitment to liberal values, democracy and the rule of law.
“The UK is one of South Africa’s largest bilateral trading and investment partners and remains South Africa’s number one source of long-haul tourism in the world,” he said.
In the statement on Sunday, Magwenya stated Ramaphosa described the bilateral relationship between the two countries:
As a special bond and said South Africa wished to see greater alignment with the UK at the national and multilateral level, with South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 in 2025 providing one such opportunity.
“President Ramaphosa foresees closer cooperation with the UK in the political, social, people-to-people, diplomatic, trade and investment and climate change domains.
“The prime minister agreed that the G20 would be a platform for advancing shared interests in climate change, economic growth, and the eradication of inequality,” he said.
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Starmer spent his first hours in Downing Street on Friday appointing his ministerial team, hours after securing centre-left Labour’s return to power with a whopping 174-seat majority in the UK parliament, according to Reuters.
The publication said after being confirmed as the new prime minister by King Charles III, Karmer said: “The work of change begins immediately. But have no doubt, we will rebuild Britain.”
Starmer replaced the Conservative Party’s Rishi Sunak.
