The UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said he will attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next week, reversing his previous decision to skip the global conference.
The U-turn comes after Sunak came under pressure from climate activists, opposition parties, and some Conservative MPs including his former boss Boris Johnson and the government’s climate czar Alok Sharma, for his planned absence.
The prime minister told reporters on Friday said he was “very passionate” about the environment, but would focus on “the depressing domestic challenges we have with the economy” for the time being.
“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,” Sunak wrote.
Downing Street later said Sunak changed his plans after “making good progress” on the upcoming autumn budget.
“He has always recognised the importance of this summit and indeed on tackling climate change more generally. We wanted to make sure we were making good progress on the government’s domestic agenda and the autumn statement in particular,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said.
“Following discussions with the chancellor this week he has now agreed to attend. The prime minister feels there is sufficient space to make this trip.”
Sharma is expected to hand over the UK’s COP presidency to Egypt during the summit, which takes place between Nov. 6 and 18 in the southern Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheik.
Downing Street also confirmed that King Charles III, who last year told COP26 in Glasgow that the world have to be on a “war-like footing” over climate change, will not attend the summit.
The new monarch was advised not to go by former Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Sunak’s spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that it was “a unanimous agreement” that the king would not attend.
In his first televised speech as king on Sept. 9, Charles recalled his mother’s pledge made on her 21st birthday to devote her whole life to the service of the Commonwealth, vowing to uphold the constitutional principles throughout his remaining life, and signalling that he will take a step back from being involved in “the charities and issues” about which he “care[s] so deeply.”
Sunak has been sending mixed signals about his government’s energy and climate policies. The new prime minister restored the moratorium on fracking only weeks after Truss’s government lifted the ban. But he demoted Sharma and climate minister Graham Stuart, who have been stripped of their Cabinet seats.
