Rishi Sunak has built up a reputation as a hard worker and a fast learner. The premiership is a test for even the most capable of individuals, but it is difficult to believe that the prime minister couldn’t carve out a little time from his busy diary to show up at the forthcoming Cop27 summit in Egypt. It might not be the most urgent of tasks confronting him but, given the transcendent importance of the climate crisis, it is surely the most important – a distinction he’ll understand.
As things stand, the UK delegation will be led by Alok Sharma – the retiring president of the Cop26 session held in Glasgow – and Therese Coffey, the new environment secretary. Neither, for all their qualities, has the status and clout of the other busy world leaders who have taken the opportunity to try and create some fresh momentum in troubled times. If the likes of Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron can spare the time, then so can Mr Sunak.
It might have been some consolation if the King were permitted to attend. But, having been denied a chance to attend by Liz Truss, Mr Sunak now also deems it inappropriate. That is a pity, to say the least. It is true that there are still many climate deniers who regard the overwhelming scientific evidence of global warming as “just weather”, and that the issue isn’t as consensual as many would wish. Yet one function of the monarch, demonstrated over decades if not centuries, is to promote the national interest and act on the advice of their government to bolster diplomatic efforts to that end.
