Angela Merkel on Thursday set the stage for a showdown with Donald Trump when she announced that next week’s G20 summit in Hamburg will focus on climate change.

The summit was expected to be dominated by Mr Trump’s first meeting with Vladimir Putin since his election as US president.

But Mrs Merkel made it clear that as host Germany intends to use the summit to defend the Paris climate agreement, with Mr Trump pulled out of earlier this month.

“We can not and will not wait for the latest in the world to be convinced by the scientific evidence for climate change,” she told the German parliament in uncharacteristically blunt language.

“The Paris agreement is irreversible and non-negotiable and I am determined to carry out the negotiations at the G20 Summit so that they can serve the Paris climate agreement.”

The summit will bring together key leaders including Theresa May, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Justin Trudeau.