Biden aims to solidify US leadership and alliances, addressing climate change and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, while looking beyond Trump…reports Asian Lite News
Behind the smiles as Joe Biden bids farewell to world leaders at the UN General Assembly this week will be one goal — shoring up his legacy against a possible White House comeback by Donald Trump.
Countries around the world are nervously watching November’s US presidential election amid fears that a Trump victory over Kamala Harris would bring back his hard-line, isolationist foreign policy.
And as Biden makes his final appearance at the UNGA in New York after dropping out of the race in July and endorsing his vice president as the Democratic nominee, the 81-year-old is not taking any chances.
Viewing his presidency as a return from the brink during Republican Trump’s four years in the Oval Office, Biden will be trying to make his achievements, as one aide put it, “irreversible.”
From his keynote address to the UN and a major climate speech on Tuesday, to talks on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Biden will be trying to lay the ground for US alliances and leadership that could outlast Trump.
“When President Biden came to office nearly four years ago he pledged to restore American leadership on the world stage,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with him to New York.
Biden would now use his UN address to outline his “vision” for how that should continue and to “reaffirm how this approach has produced results for the American people and for the world,” she added.
His UN swansong comes amid a wider attempt by Biden to burnish his legacy at home and abroad, after a one-term presidency cut short when a disastrous debate against Trump fueled concerns about his age.
In an emotional moment Sunday, on the eve of the assembly, former president Bill Clinton presented Biden with the “Clinton Global Citizen Award” at a surprise ceremony in New York.
Biden held a cabinet meeting last week to urge a “sprint to the finish” to promote his policies — and to give any reflected glory to Harris in an agonizingly close election.
His director of communications Ben LaBolt said in a memo to White House staff that the administration should “put a stake in the ground for the future” — and, in a clear swipe at Trump, spoke of how Biden had restored “decency and dignity to the White House.”
With an eye on the history books, Biden is seeking to put his stamp on policy across the board.
On international alliances — where Trump threatened to drop western allies if they did not spend more money on defense and held summits with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un — Biden hosted the leaders of Japan, India and Australia for a farewell summit in his hometown on Saturday.
On climate — where Trump pulled the US out of the Paris accords — Biden wanted to build an “irreversible momentum behind climate action,” his National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi said Monday.
And on Ukraine — where Trump praised Putin and has been distinctly cool in supporting Kyiv — Biden is hosting a farewell meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Thursday to discuss more US support.
Yet the greatest prize of all seems further away than ever.
Biden had set his sights securing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza before he leaves office in January 2025.
But instead the situation in the Middle East is becoming ever more dangerous, with the UNGA likely to be dominated by Israeli attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon which have killed at least 500 people.
US officials said Biden would focus on the need for a Gaza ceasefire and for calm in the region in his speech on Tuesday.
Chancellor unveils package to deliver on promises
The Chancellor on Monday unveiled a package of measures to deliver on the agenda of the new government including a breakfast club pilot for 750 schools with primary aged pupils, new powers for the Covid Corruption Commissioner, e-invoicing to support business and the next steps on the government’s industrial strategy.
School Breakfast Club Pilot
The Chancellor announced that up to 750 schools with primary aged pupils will be invited to take part in a £7 million breakfast club pilot. The funding will allow these schools to run free breakfast clubs for their pupils in the summer term (April-July 2025).
The Department for Education will work with the schools selected as part of the pilot to understand how breakfast clubs can be delivered to meet the needs of schools, parents and pupils when the programme is rolled out nationally.
This will help reduce the number of students at schools with primary aged pupils starting the school day hungry and ensure children come to school ready to learn. It will also support the government’s aim to tackle child poverty by addressing rising food insecurity among children.
Covid Corruption Commissioner
Reeves also announced a block on any Covid-era PPE contract being abandoned or waived until it has been assessed by the new Covid Corruption Commissioner, whom will be appointed in October.
The decision will affect £647 million of Covid PPE contracts where contract recovery was previously earmarked to be waived.
It follows action already in motion to cut government waste and curb unnecessary spending. In her statement to Parliament in July, the Chancellor pledged to halve government consultancy spend from 2025-26, with savings targets of £550 million this financial year and a further £680 million in the next already announced.
Excessive use of ministerial travel by aeroplane and helicopter is also being cutdown, with confirmation that a military contract for a helicopter also used for VIP trips, is not being renewed at the end of the year as previously announced.
Industrial Strategy
The Chancellor also today announced that the Industrial Strategy will be at the heart of the government’s mission to grow the economy, unlock investment and make every part of the country better off. It will focus on delivering long-term change to the economy by making Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerating to net zero, breaking down barriers to regional growth, and building a secure and resilient economy.
A green paper will be published around Budget in October outlining the long-term sectoral growth and priority industries of the government, ahead of the final strategy published in the spring of 2025 following a consultation with business.
HMRC package
Chancellor Reeves also outlined a package of reforms to improve the UK’s tax system to help fix the foundations of the UK economy.
As part of the package, HMRC will soon launch a consultation on electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) to promote its wider use across UK businesses and government departments.
The introduction of e-invoicing can significantly reduce administrative tasks, improve cash flow, boost productivity, introduce automation, and reduce errors in tax returns – all helping to close the tax gap. The consultation will gather input from businesses on how HMRC can support investment in and encourage e-invoicing uptake.
The Chancellor also announced that Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray, the minister responsible for the UK’s tax system, has become the Chair of the HMRC Board. This is to help oversee the implementation of his three strategic priorities for HMRC; closing the tax gap, modernising and reforming, and improving customer service.
It was also announced that a new Digital Transformation Roadmap, aimed to be published in Spring 2025, will set out HMRC’s vision to be a digital first organisation underpinned by customer insight. The Roadmap will include measures to ensure digital inclusion and support for customers who cannot yet interact digitally.
There was a further update that new staff are expected to join HMRC’s training programme in November as 200 additional offer letters have been issued as part of the 450 letters already sent. This is part of HMRC’s plans to recruit an additional 5,000 compliance staff to help close the tax gap.
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