Britain’s new prime minister Rishi Sunak will now attend Cop27, after earlier saying he was too busy preparing for the upcoming budget.
Mr Sunak’s decision to miss the event, which is being held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, was criticised by environmentalists as a “massive failure of leadership”.
The U-turn, his first following a series of policy reversals by predecessor Liz Truss, came after former prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed he will attend.
Mr Sunak will join other leaders, including US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron, at the UN event, which begins on Sunday and runs until November 18.
He tweeted: “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 @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”
The prime minister took over last week at a time of crisis in British politics, after Mr Truss, resigned after 49 days in the job following resistance to her mini-budget, a series of U-turns and a lack of political and economic stability.
Mr Sunak initially said he was too busy to attend Cop27 because he was “focusing on the depressing domestic challenges we have with the economy”.
“I think that’s what people watching would reasonably expect me to be doing as well.”
Following that announcement, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland's devolved administration, said she would travel to Egypt for the conference.
Critics said Mr Sunak's absence would “make a mockery” of his government's commitment to tackle climate change.
On Tuesday, his spokesman said "significant progress" was being made on the financial statement.
Green MP Caroline Lucas welcomed the "screeching U-turn", calling his decision to stay away an "embarrassing mis-step on the world stage".
"Let this be a lesson to him — climate leadership matters," she added.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the prime minister had been "dragged kicking and screaming into doing the right thing".
The Liberal Democrats claimed he was "only going after being embarrassed by Mr Johnson's attendance".
Alok Sharma, who was due to speak to British MPs for the last time as Cop26 president on Wednesday but could not because he was removed from the Cabinet, said he was “delighted” by the U-turn.
He earlier said he was “disappointed” by Mr Sunak's failure to attend.
“Delighted that @RishiSunak is attending #COP27 – completely agree with his comment that ‘there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change’,” Mr Sharma tweeted.
As Cop26 questions began on Wednesday, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Mr Sharma would no longer be fielding questions under Mr Sunak’s reshuffle.
Shadow climate change minister Kerry McCarthy responded: “I have to say it is disappointing that the Cop president [Mr Sharma] hasn’t been allowed to answer questions today.”
She added: “We have also just heard that the UK has failed to pay out more than $300 million promised at Cop to the green climate fund and the adaptation fund.
“Is that why the prime minister was trying to avoid going to Sharm El Sheikh? Because he is embarrassed that the UK has not delivered on all these promises it has made?”
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey replied: “I think she is being ungenerous. All of our pledges are still absolutely in place and she will recognise the work that this government and ministers are doing in order to bring partners together.”
So far, Downing Street's advice to King Charles III, a long-standing environmental campaigner, has been for him not to attend.
No 10 said last week that the position, first agreed under Mr Truss's leadership, still stood.
"As is standard practice, government advice was sought and provided under a previous PM, and it was unanimously agreed that it would not be the right occasion for the king to visit in person," a spokeswoman said.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
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76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
