After his office previously stated that the new prime minister was anticipated to skip the annual climate meeting, Britain’s Rishi Sunak confirmed on Wednesday that he will attend COP27 in Egypt next week.
“There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables,” Sunak wrote on Twitter.
He added he was attending the summit to “deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future,” in reference to the British city hosting the last edition of the conference in 2021.
Sunak’s office had said last week he was not expected to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference as he focused on “pressing domestic commitments”, inviting both criticism and support for the decision.
With a proposal expected on November 17, Sunak, who last week became Britain’s third prime minister in two months, has been collaborating with finance minister Jeremy Hunt on a package of tax increases and spending reductions to fix the nation’s public finances.
Sunak’s decision to boycott COP27 was referred to as a “major failure of leadership” by the opposition Labour party. Britain is in charge of the presidency till the commencement of the following summit because it hosted COP26 last year.
Alok Sharma, the president of COP26 in Britain, lost his position as a cabinet minister after Sunak assumed power, told Times newspaper over the weekend Sunak’s absence at the summit could undermine the nation’s position as a world leader on green issues.