UK’s Johnson to Attend COP27 Summit in Egypt
Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson said he would go to the upcoming UN climate change conference in a move that could force his successor to change his mind and attend.
Johnson said in his first interview since stepping down as prime minister in September that he had been “invited by the Egyptians” to the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
He said he was “very happy to go” as he had “a particular interest”, having hosted last year’s event in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
He called the meeting to limit global emissions a “fantastic global success” which did “a huge amount of good for the planet”.
Johnson pushed for a greener economy while he was in Downing Street, but a string of scandals forced him out of office.
Rishi Sunak, who became prime minister on October 25, has been criticised for saying he won't go to the summit at the Red Sea resort in Egypt.
He was also criticised for downgrading the posts of the government’s COP26 minister, Alok Sharma, and climate minister, Graham Stuart, preventing them from attending cabinet.
Sunak’s spokesman on October 27 cited the PM’s “pressing domestic commitments” linked to the disastrous economic plans of Johnson’s short-lived immediate successor, Liz Truss.
But on Tuesday, his spokesman said his attendance was “under review”.
Johnson’s confirmation that he will be there could persuade Sunak to change his mind, given the reported bad blood between the pair.
As Johnson's finance minister, Sunak was one of the first people in his cabinet to quit in protest of his leadership. This caused a lot of other people in government to leave their jobs.
King Charles III has been an environmentalist since he was the heir to the throne. He will not be at COP27, but on Friday, he will host a pre-COP reception at Buckingham Palace.
Source: The Sun Daily
