British PM may become first in a decade to miss UN Assembly

MOSCOW - Rishi Sunak may become the first British prime minister in a decade to miss the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level debate, as he is mulling focusing on the internal agenda instead, reported Sputnik.

World leaders will gather in New York for the annual opening of the UN General Assembly in September. Sunak has not yet officially confirmed his attendance.

"It has to fit in with a whole load of other things Rishi's doing. Nothing's nailed down yet," a source familiar with plans for the UN told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Sunak is considering skipping the trip to the US in order to prepare for the annual conference of the Conservative Party in October, which is widely seen as a key moment to chart the prime minister's vision for the 2024 election, the newspaper said.

Additionally, Sunak's September schedule is already quite busy, featuring a trip to India for a G20 summit and an anticipated cabinet reshuffle in the fall, according to the report.

The last British prime minister not to visit the UN General Assembly in September was David Cameron in 2013. -BERNAMA