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Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sir David Attenborough have met at the Science Museum as part of an event to launch key UN climate talks in the UK.
The pair are attending the event in London to mark the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is taking place in November.
The prime minister, who will use a speech to call for international efforts to reach net zero as early as possible, told school children at the event: “We are trying to get people focusing on what this country is doing to tackle climate change and how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which as I understand it is swaddling the planet like a tea cosy.”
It came as Claire O’Neill, the recently sacked president of a major UN climate summit set to be hosted by the UK, accused Mr Johnson of a lack of leadership over climate change and “apparent dark ops” over her dismissal.
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Live Updates
‘The time is now’
David Attenborough pushed for climate change action.
XR says COP26 ‘set up to fail’
A statement from Extinction Rebellion, which has protesters at the COP26 event, said:
We are here to tell politicians that 2050 is too late, that COP26 has been set up to fail, as have all previous COPs. Listen to the science, we are currently heading for a 4 degree C plus world, which is rapidly showing that it will be hostile to humanity.
Children all around the world are exposed and vulnerable to this climate and ecological emergency. Can you imagine?
Children are dependent on us adults for their protection. As people engage with information about the emergency, they imagine what’s going to come in the future.
How do we want to be remembered as adults, what legacy do we want to leave for our children?
Attenborough says its ‘time to act’
Nature broadcaster David Attenborough also told the crowd there was need to act on climate change.
He the securing of the international Paris Agreement on tackling climate change five years ago had produced a sense of euphoria, but it now needed acting on.
Mr Attenborough said the time to do something was at the next UN meeting in Glasgow at the end of the year.
He said:
It’s now up to us to put before the nations of the world what has to be done. We don’t need to emphasise to them or to you the longer we leave it, not doing things but going on talking about it, the worse it’s going to get. And in the end unless we do something, it becomes insoluble.
PM on reversing climate damage
Boris Johnson spoke of reversing habitat damage and reducing C02 emissions.
He said:
We must reverse the appalling loss of habitats and species, it’s only by repairing the damage to the natural world and restoring the balance between humanity and nature, that is now so grotesquely out of kilter, we can address the problem of climate change.
At the same time, we have to deal with our CO2 emissions, and that is why the UK is calling for us to get to net zero as soon as possible, to get every country to announce credible targets to get there – that’s what we want from Glasgow.
And that’s why we have pledged here in the UK to deliver net zero by 2050.
It’s quite proper we should, we were the first country to industrialise – look at the historic emissions of the UK – and we have a responsibility to our planet to lead in this way and to do this.
XR protest event
Extinction Rebellion activists have gathered outside the Science Museum to protest outside the COP26 launch event.
Trade backing
Julian Braithwaite spoke of the UK’s backing for the World Trade Organisation today.
Mr Braithwaite, the UK’s permanent representative to the organisation, said:
The United Kingdom has long been a strong believer in the role of the multilateral trading system to unlock growth, reduce poverty and open markets for least-developed, developed and developing countries alike. The stability and predictability of this system remains vital to all of us, and the United Kingdom is committed to supporting the international institution that underpins it.
There are big challenges facing the WTO today. It is important that these are addressed, and the United Kingdom will play its part in doing so.
The PM is to discuss climate action for 2020 at the Science Museum today.
PM on climate action
Prime minister Boris Johnson and Sir David Attenborough met local primary school children at the Science Museum in London this morning. before speaking to experts, campaigners and politicians.
The PM said the UK wanted to get to net zero and said “we think we’ve got to do it”, pointing to Britain’s role as a leader in the industrial revolution.
Mr Johnson told the youngsters:
We are trying to get people focusing on what this country is doing to tackle climate change and how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which as I understand it is swaddling the planet like a tea cosy.
We want to get everybody to agree to use new technology such as electric batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, all that kind of thing, so they stop producing so much greenhouse gases.
Climate summit launch
Boris Johnson sits with Sir David Attenborough during the launch of the UK-hosted COP26 UN Climate Summit, which will be held in November.
Journalist ‘ban’ investigation
The head of the civil service has been asked to investigate the decision to bar some journalists from a briefing yesterday, which led to members of the press walking out of Downing Street in solidarity with those not allowed in.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill was told the situation – which occurred when journalists arrived for a briefing on Brexit plans – was “damaging to democracy”.
Labour leadership hopeful Sir Keir Starmer requested the investigation into Monday’s events.
He said:
Johnson’s decision to ban selected media from having access to civil service briefings damages democracy.
Statements for the Commons
Below are the written statements due to be made to the House of Commons on Tuesday:
– Business Secretary: Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay
– Minister for the Cabinet Office: State of the Estate in 2018-19
– Chancellor: Bilateral loan to Ireland; Operation of the UK’s Counter-Terrorist Asset Freezing Regime: July 1 2019 to September 30 2019
– Health Secretary: Paterson Inquiry
– Scottish Secretary: Contingencies Fund Advance
Climate criticism
The former president of the UN climate summit in Glasgow has launched a blistering attack on Boris Johnson’s record on tackling climate change after she was sacked by the Government last week.
Former clean growth minister Claire Perry O’Neill spoke out as the PM prepared to outline new measures, including a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles being brought forward to 2035.
New terror sentence legislation
Michael Gove has said he hopes emergency legislation on terror sentences will be put forward this week.
PM slammed on climate record
Former clean growth minister Claire Perry O’Neill, the former president of the UN climate summit in Glasgow who was sacked by the Government last week, has blasted Boris Johnson’s record on tackling climate change.
She spoke out as the Prime Minister prepared to outline new measures including a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles being brought forward to 2035.
In a letter to Mr Johnson published by the Financial Times, Ms O’Neill told the prime minister:
You promised to ‘lead from the front’ and asked me what was needed: ‘money, people, just tell us!’ Sadly these promises are not close to being met.
This isn’t a pretty place to be and we owe the world a lot better.
Rishi Sunak comments
Here are details of what Rishi Sunak said on trade, following Michael Gove saying the chief secretary to the Treasury is “always right”.
Gove backs Sunak’s ‘don’t need EU trade deal’ comment
Michael Gove said Rishi Sunak is “right about everything” when asked about his comment that Britain does not “need” a trade deal with the EU.
Pressed on a deal, he told Sky:
The most important thing to do is to make sure that as a country we have the right economic policies.
He said he was “confident” a trade deal would be agreed. However, he said the “we do not have to go and secure an agreement on someone else’s terms.
In the Commons
The NHS Funding Bill will be focused on for up to four hours in the chamber today.
There will also be urgent questions and statements as well as questions on Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
Universal Credit delay
Universal Credit’s full roll out has again been delayed.
It is now not expected to be fully introduced until September 2024, a fresh setback of an estimated nine months.
The Department for Work and Pensions said on Monday the delay was due to 900,000 more claimants than expected remaining on the legacy welfare schemes that Universal Credit is replacing.
The Department said the delay will cost an extra £500 million, because there will be an additional 900,000 claimants receiving higher payments when they are moved to Universal Credit.
This is as part of the “transitional protection” to prevent those being moved on to the new system from losing out on payments, unless their circumstances change.
NHS ‘financially unstable’ – report
The National Audit Office (NAO) has said short term fixes have left the NHS financially unstable.
The watchdog said extra money brought in by Government to stabilise the finances of individual NHS bodies has not been fully effective.
The study found the health service was treating more patients, but has failed to achieve “the fundamental transformation in services and finance regime needed to meet rising demand”.
The NAO said:
Trusts are becoming increasingly reliant on short-term measures, including one-off savings – rather than more permanent year-on-year savings – to meet yearly financial targets.
These deficits were offset by a centrally managed NHS England underspend.
Short-term fixes have made some parts of the NHS seriously financially unstable.
Today
The NHS funding bill is due at committee stage in the Commons.
The bill passed second reading last week and now faces legislative grand committee.
MPs will meet in the Commons at 12.30pm to discuss the funding, which is due to enshrine in law an extra £33.9 billion each year for the NHS,
