Andy Burnham faces backlash over plans to invite Russia to 2027 Manchester G20

Andy Burnham is under fire for his plans to invite Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Manchester.

According to government sources confirmed on Friday, the Russian President will be invited to send a delegate to next year’s summit despite the continuous conflict with Ukraine. The decision was deeply unfortunate because there was no concerted exclusion of the Russian leader, and the government had no choice to invite him.

Ministers believe that Putin will not attend the summit over growing fears that the British courts will uphold an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for suspected battlefield atrocities in Ukraine. Putin is further also accused of ordering the 2018 Salisbury Poisoning which killed the mother of three.

On the contrary, Boris Johnson has said it would be unthinkable of Putin or a representative to set foot in the UK. He stated to the Mail, “We cannot send a signal that we are returning to business as usual with Putin because that is exactly what he wants.”

“If we must invite a Russian delegation because the G20 is too spineless to kick them out then we should make it clear that war criminals, including Putin, will be arrested if they come here.”

The Mail reports that Whitehall sources have clarified that the Russian leader’s plan on UK soil has caused disquiet in the government.

Nonetheless, the government spokesperson said that Russian participation in G20 meetings is regrettable adding that it is a consensus-driven coalition where all countries are invited and it is a matter for member states who represent them at summits.