Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will fly to Egypt next week
(Picture: REUTERS)The Prime Minister has reversed his decision to skip the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt next week.
On Wednesday Rishi Sunak said he will attend the event after being widely criticised for saying he would not attend due to pressing economic matters in the UK.
“There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change,” Mr Sunak wrote on Twitter.
“There is no energy security without investing in renewables.
“That is what I will attend next week: to deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”
It’s a stark contrast to his comments last week, when Mr Sunak insisted he must focus on the “depressing domestic challenges”.
His attendance in Sharm El-Sheikh was dependent on preparations for the autumn budget, due on November 17, a spokesperson said.
The spokesman said the PM believed the public would “rightly” want him to focus on issues at home, particularly on “restoring fiscal credibility” and delivering a budget that “works for the British people”.
While the U-turn has been praised by Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Mr Sunak’s climate tsar Alok Sharma, many opposition MPs called it an embarassment.
Shadow Climate and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said the prime minister has been “shamed” into attending COP27 “by the torrent of disbelief that he would fail to turn up”.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak had been “dragged kicking and screaming into doing the right thing”, while Green MP Caroline Lucas said it was “an embarrassing mis-step on the world stage”.
Liberal Democrat climate change spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said the “whole debacle has shown the environment is simply not a priority” for Mr Sunak.
“He’s only going after being embarrassed by Boris Johnson’s attendance. We need action rather than just attendance from the Prime Minister.”
Ms Hobhouse urged the Government to build more renewable energy sources to help reduce household energy bills.
Mr Sunak announced his attendance the morning after Mr Johnson, one of his predecessors in No 10 and rival in the Conservative Party, confirmed he will be joining the talks in Egypt.
The COP27 climate-change conference will begin on Sunday, November 6 and end on Friday, November 18.
Cop stands for Conference of the Parties, and the summit is attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
World leaders, accredited non-profits, the press, and members of observer organisations will attend the conference in and around the UN offices of the host country.
High profile guests include US president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron. The King will not be attending this year, despite being there last year.
It was reported that no royal will be attending in his place, either, despite long-term involvement and advocacy for environmental affairs.
Prince William is instead expected in New York for the Earthshot Prize awards – a far cry from last year’s full Royal Family appearance at COP26 in Glasgow.
More than 2000 speakers, 35,000 participants, and 300 points of discussion are expected to pan out over the week.
