The Prime Minister hosted New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Downing Street today.

The two leaders reflected on their visit to Operation Interflex to see Ukrainian troops being trained earlier today, and the importance of supporting Ukraine for the long term.

Discussing the Coalition of the Willing, the Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Luxon for New Zealand’s ongoing support, adding that the planning phase was making good progress across all four domains – land, air, regeneration and sea. 

The Prime Minister welcomed New Zealand’s recent uplift in defence spending, and both agreed the direct link between defence spending, economic security and putting money back in the pockets of hardworking people.

Turning to the situation in the Indo-Pacific, the leaders agreed on the importance of working together to support regional stability and counter malign threats.

They also discussed the strong trade links between the UK and New Zealand, and the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.