Rishi Sunak has made his first major u-turn as Prime Minister | indy100

Rishi Sunak could U-turn on Cop27 snub, No 10 confirms

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Well, it’s not taken long, but Rishi Sunak has made the first major U-turn of his term as PM.

Sunak was widely criticised after deciding against attending the Cop27 climate summit recently and insisting that he must focus on “depressing domestic challenges”.

However, Sunak has now confirmed that he will be attending the event in Egypt after all.

"There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change," he wrote on Twitter. "There is no energy security without investing in renewables.

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"That is why I will attend @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future."

\u201cThere is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change.\n\nThere is no energy security without investing in renewables.\n\nThat is why I will attend @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.\u201d
— Rishi Sunak (@Rishi Sunak) 1667383244

Farming minister Mark Spencer hinted at a U-turn last week, saying Sunak would be at the climate summit from 6 November if "he’s got time".

“Clearly he wants to concentrate on the financial statement and that’s what he’s doing,” Spencer told Sky News.

“But if he’s able to get through... all of that, you know, Cop is very important. It’s very important to the government, it’s important to our future, so we’ll send out senior ministers, but that’s yet to be decided who’s going to go.”

Could Sunak change his mind on Cop27?Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Spencer went on to say that the notion of Johnson going to the event in his place was not a “consideration” for the PM.

“I think, actually, he’ll be looking at how much he’s got in his inbox,” he told LBC.

“But I think the fact that Boris is thinking of going is a demonstration of how seriously the Conservative Party and the Conservative Government takes these things.”

It comes after the Government’s climate tsar Alok Sharma said he was “disappointed” by the decision not to attend the Cop27 summit, while Tory former chancellor George Osborne asked why Sunak would “trash” the party’s record on the environment.

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