Andy Burnham boasted about his Net Zero credentials to a half-empty UN climate summit in Turkey today.
Despite 100,000 delegates being at the COP31 gathering, the PM was left informing a sparse hall that he wanted a ‘new era of British leadership over the next decade’.
In a speech lasting just six minutes, Mr Burnham warned that the ‘climate crisis is upon all of us now’ after a ‘not normal’ summer of extreme heat, wildfires and drought.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Lord Khan – who was happily posing for selfies with UN staff – were among those in the audience for Mr Burnham’s address.
The premier is facing questions over why he has jetted off to the talking shop – which is being attended by 100,000 delegates but every other G7 leader has skipped.
France‘s Emmanuel Macron, Italy‘s Giorgia Meloni and Canada‘s Mark Carney are all staying away. Donald Trump is not even sending officials after pulling out of the Paris Agreement.
Mr Burnham arrived in Antalya last night on a Government plane, and departed this morning for Dublin – where he is joining a summit with EU leaders.
Embarrassingly, he did not even manage to have a scheduled meeting with Brazil’s recently re-elected Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva due to time pressures.
Although the premier was keen to talk up his climate commitment, mixed signals have been coming out of the Government.
Andy Burnham told a UN climate summit the UK is committed to hitting Net Zero by 2050 today – despite an apparent shift in tone domestically
The PM spoke to a half-empty hall at the COP31 gathering in Turkey this morning, saying he wanted a ‘new era of British leadership over the next decade’
Mr Burnham and Lord Khan looked to be enjoying themselves in Antalya
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was also on hand to boost the numbers listening to Mr Burnham’s speech
Lord Khan posed for selfies with UN staff at the summit this morning
De facto deputy PM Louise Haigh is due to chair a Cabinet committee watering down EV targets today – after the meeting was delayed amid concerns the decision would leak and embarrass Mr Burnham.
Drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea was recently approved, and doubts have been raised over the target for a Net Zero power grid by 2030.
Plans for the UK’s largest solar farm on Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Estate have also been blocked by ministers.
In his speech, Mr Burnham said: ‘The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is upon us all now, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere.
‘Meanwhile, two wars across two continents have sent fuel prices and gas bills soaring for families and businesses across the world. The common thread running through all of this: our dependence on fossil fuels.
‘The message I carry here at my Cop as UK Prime Minister is this, we’re committed to meeting our 2050 net zero target, and committed to working with all of our partners to reach theirs.’
Mr Burnham spent just over an hour at the conference venue to deliver his speech before departing for Dublin.
Time pressure meant a planned bilateral meeting with Lula da Silva in the margins of the summit was called off.
Mr Burnham did have brief informal meetings known as “brush-bys” with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Cop31 president Murat Kurum.
Tory frontbencher Neil O’Brien told the Daily Mail: ‘Burnham’s audience was the only thing at COP that actually came close to hitting Net Zero…
‘He’s jacking up our energy bills to cut emissions but then flew halfway around the world to speak to a deserted room.
‘If he wanted to speak to a bunch of empty chairs he could just have called a meeting of his own Cabinet.’
Mr Burnham’s early-morning speech at the summit was not well attended
Mr Burnham arrived in Antalya last night on a Government plane, and departed this morning for Dublin – where he is joining a summit with EU leaders
Calling on industry leaders to ‘play their part’ to help people on all incomes make the green transition, Mr Burnham said: ‘This crisis can only be solved in partnership. I have pledged a new era of British leadership over the next decade.
‘The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate has gone, and the reality is now the world will reach 1.5 degrees. Climate leadership and action have become more urgent. Britain will answer the call.’
Mr Burnham also endorsed host nation Turkey’s pledge to increase the share of global energy demand met by electricity from 21% to 35% by 2035.
He said electrification ‘is how we protect families from global fossil fuel shocks’, creates good jobs and ‘lowers people’s bills’.
