UK Prime Minister Theresa May, citing domestic concerns, will follow her French and American counterparts by staying away from this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/dos
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the current political situation in London, a spokesperson for May announced on Thursday evening that the prime minister would not be attending next week’s WEF meeting in the Swiss mountain town of Davos.
After a thumping defeat was handed her proposed Brexit plan in the House of Commons on Tuesday, May survived a vote of no confidence in her leadership on Wednesday. Parliament has instructed her to return with an alternative plan by next Monday, the opening day of this year’s WEF gathering.
The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29 this year, with or without a plan of orderly action.
In shunning the Davos meeting, which she attended last year, May follows in the wake of Emmanuel Macron, under heavy domestic pressure driven by gilets jaunes protests, and Donald Trump, who cancelled his visit due to an ongoing government shutdown in Washington.
German leader Angela Merkel and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe are two of the major global political figures still scheduled to attend.
This year’s WEF runs from January 21-25. Stay tuned to swissinfo.ch for daily coverage of the major events and announcements from the four-day event.
More
More
Why Trump’s absence could benefit Davos
This content was published on
If this year’s World Economic Forum does indeed take place without US President Donald Trump, it won’t matter too much, say some Swiss media.
This content was published on
The latest figures from the Federal Office of Public Health show that lab-confirmed cases dropped from nearly 2,340 to under 2,000 last week.
Swiss cities targeted by Russian hackers during WEF
This content was published on
Russian hackers have targeted canton Schaffhausen and the cities of Geneva and Sierre, paralysing their websites on Wednesday morning.
This content was published on
Paul Hottinguer, a member of one of Switzerland’s most famous banking families, will face trial in Paris for tax fraud and money laundering.
Swiss man who died in Iranian prison had photographed military site
This content was published on
The Iranian judiciary said that the Swiss man who died in an Iranian prison on January 9 had been detained for photographing a restricted military site.
Swiss researchers patent new device for avalanche detection
This content was published on
The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research said it has granted a group of Swiss researchers a patent for a device to enhance avalanche warnings.
Berset discusses ECHR climate ruling implementation at Davos
This content was published on
Switzerland has submitted a report on the court's ruling in Strasbourg. Berset told Justice Minister Beat Jans that the Council of Europe is reviewing it.
This content was published on
A 27-year-old ski tourer has died in the hospital in Sion, in southwestern Switzerland, after being caught in an avalanche on Saturday.
Swiss health minister criticises Trump’s ‘rash’ WHO exit
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed “deep” regret over Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said in Davos.
This content was published on
Job vacancies in Switzerland fell by 10% in 2024, marking the first negative annual balance since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Adecco.
Swiss president meets Zelensky in Davos amid tensions with Europe
This content was published on
Swiss President met Zelensky at Davos. As Zelensky thanked Switzerland, Keller-Sutter said it's too early to discuss a new summit, awaiting Trump's actions.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Young Socialists receive green light for anti-WEF demo
This content was published on
Davos officials have given the Swiss Young Socialists (Juso) the go-ahead to organise a public demonstration in Davos against the WEF annual meeting.
Brazilian president chooses WEF for first overseas trip
This content was published on
The rightwing Bolsonaro will join US President Donald Trump and many other world leaders in Switzerland from January 21-25. The annual showpiece meeting attracts around 3,000 political and business heads plus leaders in the worlds of science, culture, civil society and religion. Bolsonaro made his announcement during his first television interview since taking office on…
This content was published on
How did a remote Swiss mountain resort become the site for the most important leaders from around the world to debate pressing global challenges?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.