Rishi Sunak decision to skip Cop27 climate summit ‘under review’

The decision for Rishi Sunak to skip the crucial climate summit in Egypt next week is ‘under review’, The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters on Monday that a call will be made depending on how much progress the new prime minister makes on the de facto budget slated to take place on 17 November.’The prime minister is focused on pressing domestic issues, most significantly preparing for the autumn statement, so any attendance at Cop would depend on progress on preparation for that fiscal event, and that work is ongoing,’ he said. The potential U-Turn comes after Mr Sunak was accused of undermining the UK’s climate leadership by deciding not to attend the climate summit that begins in the Egyptian resort town Sharm El Sheikh on Sunday.The prime minister’s spokesperson said the PM ‘fully recognises the importance of the Cop summit and is fully committed to addressing climate change.’Asked if the Prime Minister now wants to attend if sufficient progress is made on domestic matters, the spokesman said the prime minister had set out that the public would want him to focus on domestic issues, ‘particularly on restoring fiscal credibility and delivering on a budget that works for the British people.”There is substantial progress being made on that, and so we are keeping the position on Cop under review at the moment,’ he added. A decision for Mr Sunak to attend the conference would be widely welcomed by climate activists and other world leaders but would also be the first big U-turn of his premiership.Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for climate change, told The Independent last week that the decision for Mr Sunak not to attend Cop27 was an ’embarrassing reflection’ of the government’s failure to deliver on its Cop26 commitments, saying the UK was ‘way off track’ to meet its climate targets and has a net zero plan that the courts have ruled unlawful and inadequate.The latest briefing on the matter comes after a minister in Mr Sunak’s government said on Monday that the prime minister was considering attending the Cop27 summit after all.Mark Spencer, the farming minister, suggested on Sky News on Monday morning that Mr Sunak will attend the summit ‘if he has the time,’ adding that: ‘He’ll make that call and I’m sure it’ll be the right one.’More follows