Miliband: “Dithering” over COP27 shows Sunak cannot provide leadership needed

Ed Miliband has argued that Rishi Sunak’s “dithering” over whether to attend COP27 shows that the Prime Minister “cannot provide the leadership our country needs” after Sunak’s spokesperson indicated that he may still attend the climate summit.

No 10 announced on Thursday that the Prime Minister was not expected to attend the event “due to other pressing domestic commitments”. But the Prime Minister’s spokesperson revealed today that his attendance was “under review”.

The Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary said: “After only six days in office, Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he just doesn’t get it when it comes to climate and energy issues.

“Last Friday, his Environment Secretary said Rishi Sunak wasn’t going because COP27 wasn’t a big summit. Now after a storm of criticism, her deputy says he might go if he can find the time.

“A dithering Prime Minister who cannot even decide whether he is going to a major environmental summit cannot provide the leadership our country needs. What’s clear now is that if he turns up, it won’t be to provide leadership but to avoid embarrassment.

“Only Labour can tackle the climate crisis and cut bills for British families, with our plan to make Britain a world-leading clean energy superpower by 2030.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said today: “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.”

The spokesperson added: “The Prime Minister fully recognises the importance of the COP summit and is fully committed to addressing climate change.”

Keir Starmer last week urged Sunak to attend the annual climate summit, telling Sky News: “The Prime Minister should be going to COP. He needs to show leadership.”

“If that doesn’t happen, it’s a failure of a leadership. If I was Prime Minister, I would be going. I would be convening and pulling people together and sorting out the issues that are confronting people,” the Labour leader added.

Sunak has faced criticism from within his party over his plan not to attend the conference. President of last year’s summit Alok Sharma said he was “pretty disappointed” that the Prime Minister was not planning to attend.

“I understand that he’s got a huge in tray of domestic issues that he has to deal with. But I would say that going to COP27 would allow for engagement with other world leaders. And I think it does send a signal – if the Prime Minister was to go – about our renewed commitment on this issue,” he added.

Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries argued that Sunak was “wrong not to go”, saying in a tweet: “Global warming is the biggest crisis facing our planet and net zero creates many [thousands] of jobs which is good for the economy.”

Jeremy Hunt had been scheduled to deliver the government’s medium-term fiscal plan to parliament today but announced last week that the plan would be delayed until November 17th and that it would take the form of an Autumn Statement.

The plan was initially due to be set out by Hunt’s predecessor as Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and was expected to be used to outline how the government intended to fund the tax cuts set out in Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-Budget.

Hunt announced in a statement earlier this month that the government was reversing “almost all” of the tax measures unveiled in the mini-Budget. He warned that there would be “difficult decisions” on tax and spending to come and that “some areas of spending will need to be cut”.