Business Secretary Grant Shapps has said Rishi Sunak is able to attend Cop27 because of the “vast amount” of work that has been completed on the forthcoming autumn budget.
He told Sky News: “I think the Chancellor is still working very hard on it and I know that I’ve been working with the PM, the Chancellor … on the business, the climate, the energy aspects of that.
“I think the vast amount of work’s been done and so (Mr Sunak) felt it was appropriate to leave the country.
“But as ever … his first priority is to make sure that, particularly with that rather choppy period that we’ve been through, that things are stabilised here.”
This follows the prime minister’s U-turn on the decision not to go to COP 27 in Egypt after receiving criticism for saying he wouldn’t make the trip because of “other pressing domestic commitments”.
Sunak took to Twitter to announce he would in fact be making an appearance at Egypt’s climate conference, writing: “There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change.
“There is no energy security without investing in renewables.
“That is why I will attend COP 27 next week: to deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”
This follows Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon calling for world leaders to take meaningful steps “to deliver on the promises made in the Glasgow Climate Pact.”