Theresa May told MPs on Wednesday she hopes Donald Trump will honour the Paris Agreement, signed by his predecessor Barack Obama.
Trump has pledged to withdraw from the agreement, which is the world’s first comprehensive treaty to tackle greenhouse gases.
But former Labour Leader Ed Miliband asked the PM to reassure MPs “she will say to the President that he must abide by and not withdraw from the Paris climate change treaty”.
“I would hope that all parties would continue to ensure that that climate change agreement is put into practice”, May said in response.
During his presidential campaign Trump promised to “cancel” the Paris Agreement, but has since said he has an “open mind” on whether to pull the US out of the deal.
May and Trump will this week hold talks over a trade agreement between their two countries.
During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) Miliband asked May to help convince the US President climate change is “not a hoax invented by the Chinese”, and to take him to task on the Paris Agreement.
“As the first foreign leader to meet President Trump she carries a huge responsibility on behalf not just of this country but by the whole international community in the tone that she sets”, he said.
“The Obama administration signed up to the Paris climate change agreement, we have now done that”, May said in reply.
She went on to say she “would hope that all parties” would honour the deal.
During PMQs Tory MP Andrew Tyrie also urged May to reiterate the UK position against torture when she met Trump.
The PM said she was “clear we don’t sanction torture”, but refused to say whether she would raise the issue.
Asked by HuffPost UK if May intended to tell Donald Trump this week that she wanted to the US to sign up to the Paris accord, the Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman replied:
“We don’t go into detail of our bilateral discussions. The first meeting is on Friday afternoon. We would expect it primarily to focus on trade and security and defence issues and a number of pressing issues on the international agenda.
“It may be they have opportunity to cover more than that. What is clear from the PM’s position is that she will continue to stand up for the importance of the Paris agreement and sticking to that.
“And the benefit of their relationship that has been established so far, with the Foreign Secretary’s visit and the engagement between NSAs [National Security Advisers], the opportunity this presents to have further momentum in the relationship and broaden the channels of communication between us and the new administration means that we will be able to raise more and more issues.”