Oldham MP hits out at PM over COP27 indecision
Date published: 01 November 2022
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams has criticised new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after it emerged that he may not be attending the COP27 climate summit.
Mr Sunak could still attend the COP27 summit if sufficient progress is made on preparations for the autumn Budget, Downing Street has said.
This follows the news last Thursday when No 10 said Mr Sunak was not expected to attend "due to other pressing domestic commitments".
Yesterday (Monday, however, the prime minister's official spokesman said this position was "under review".
Alok Sharma, the UK's COP26 president, is among those saying the PM should go.
Local MP Ms Abrahams said: “The climate crisis we’re facing is inextricably linked to the energy and cost of living crises.
"They require strong leadership to tackle, so that ordinary people don’t suffer; something the new Prime Minister is just not providing.
“Even with last week’s UN Climate Change’s report showing that instead of needing to halve global carbon emissions by 2030, current trends indicate it will increase by over 10%, Rishi Sunak failed to confirm he was going to attend the COP27 conference with international leaders later this month.
“Hopefully Mr Sunak will rethink his initial decision not to go after the public outcry – and to avoid another dent in his already fragile premiership.
“Last November, the UK was the COP26 host so for the Prime Minister not to go to COP27 is an embarrassing failure of climate leadership on the world stage.
"The PM should be grasping this opportunity and not shunning it.”
Ms Abrahams added: “As we are seeing, climate change is already affecting our weather.
"The extreme heat we saw in the summer will increase unless we reduce our carbon emissions.
"Only urgent action to cut these emissions, the driver of the increase in global temperatures and our climate change, will stop an environmental catastrophe.
"It’s time for leadership and sadly this is another decision from Rishi Sunak with very real world consequences.
"No wonder he is now having to rethink it.
“A Labour government would put climate at the heart of its agenda for a fairer, greener future, including lower energy bills, more energy efficiency and greater energy security for the UK through our plans for clean power by 2030 and GB Energy to make us a clean energy superpower.”
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