UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would be playing into Russia’s hands if he skips the Cop27 climate summit, he was told on Monday.
It came as Mr Sunak’s spokesman pushed open the door to a U-turn on attending the Egypt summit.
Mr Sunak’s absence is “under review” and he could attend if the demands of domestic politics allow it, the spokesman said.
Environmentalists accused Mr Sunak of a failure of leadership by declining his invitation only a year after Britain hosted Cop26.
Sir Laurie Bristow, a former British ambassador to Russia and Afghanistan, said on Monday that the UK should be “making the running” on climate action.
“If the UK wishes to be seen as a global leader on matters of global concern, it needs to lead,” he said at a briefing hosted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.
“Cop26 was a success of UK climate diplomacy. It built a strong global consensus on what needs to be done. To sustain that, we need to keep our promises and we need others to do so.”
Camilla Toulmin, an economist at the International Institute for Environment and Development, went further, saying Britain’s absence would undermine its relationships with African countries.
“Britain’s disengagement from Cop27 and Africa more broadly fits only too well into the Russian narrative of the West being fair-weather friends,” she told the same briefing.
“Cop27 isn’t going to wait for Sunak and the UK to turn up. It will happen without us and, more’s the pity, without the King.”
Further controversy ensued after it was revealed that King Charles III, a lifelong environmentalist, was advised not to attend the summit.
He will instead host a climate reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday, where Mr Sunak is expected to speak to business leaders.
Defenders of Mr Sunak’s position say there are more pressing concerns at home after he inherited an economic crisis from Liz Truss.
His spokesman said any U-turn on attending Cop27 would depend on progress on the autumn budget statement planned for November 17.
He played down Mr Sunak’s decision to demote Alok Sharma, the UK’s chief negotiator for Cop27, by stripping him of Cabinet rank.
“I think, frankly, the public don’t judge us on the sort of vibes, I think they judge us on our outcomes,” the spokesman said.
Mr Sunak’s supporters also argue that there is no tradition of prime ministers attending every Cop in person.
“We want to field the strongest possible team at Cop, but there are strong pressures on the Prime Minister’s diary,” Cabinet minister Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday.
The rich world will once again face demands at the summit to do more to protect vulnerable countries, including those in Africa, from climate change they had little role in causing.
Sir Laurie said it was up to Britain and its allies to offer more attractive relationships to African countries than their rivals Russia and China.
“What we’ve now got is the opportunity to show real leadership, not just in the UK, but also with our international partners, including in the global south, to demonstrate what our counter-offer is,” he said.
“What’s the way out of this? It’s to accelerate the carbon transition, not to slow it down.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
