Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reversed on his decision to skip the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt next week. He had previously said he would be staying in the UK to focus on domestic issues such as the cost of living crisis and his government's upcoming autumn financial statement.
However, on Wednesday morning he wrote on Twitter: "There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future."
Mr Sunak was initially not planning to attend, with Downing Street saying he was focusing on "depressing domestic challenges". However, the announcement by his predecessor Boris Johnson he was going to the talks piled further pressure on the PM to backtrack on his decision. He had also faced widespread calls to attend, including from his own climate chief Alok Sharma, who presided over the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year.
Mr Sharma said he was "delighted" at the Prime Minister's U-turn over Cop27 after saying he was "disappointed" over his planned failure to attend. The outgoing Cop26 president tweeted: "Delighted that @RishiSunak is attending £COP27 - completely agree with his comment that 'there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change'."
Liberal Democrat climate change spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said: "This whole debacle has shown the environment is simply not a priority for Rishi Sunak. He's only going after being embarrassed by Boris Johnson's attendance.
"We need action rather than just attendance from the Prime Minister. Building more renewables, the cheapest and most popular form of energy and insulating our cold and draughty homes will accelerate progress towards net zero, cut energy bills and increase the UK's energy security."
Green MP Caroline Lucas responded by tweeting: "Glad to see Sunak's screeching U-turn on #COP27, but what an embarrassing mis-step on the world stage. Let this be a lesson to him - climate leadership matters. Now he urgently needs to increase UK ambition on emission reduction targets & pay what we owe to global climate funds."
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak had been "dragged kicking and screaming into doing the right thing" after he committed to attend the Cop27 climate summit. "Embarrassing," she added.
