PM makes minister his climate summit chief

IN a move to cement his determination to tackle carbon emissions, Boris Johnson made Alok Sharma full-time head of the UN climate change conference yesterday.

UN Cop26 will be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, bringing together world leaders and representatives from nearly 200 countries.

Mr Sharma becomes full-time president of the conference, with his role of Business Secretary taken by Kwasi Kwarteng, one of his ministers.

Following his pledge to cut Britain’s carbon emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, Mr Johnson decided Mr Sharma, who has led preparations for the summit since last February, will make it his sole focus rather than combine it with his secretary of state duties.

Mr Sharma will remain a full member of Cabinet, with the Cop26 presidency affording him a ministerial role in the Cabinet Office. Cop26 will be held in Glasgow from November 1-12 after the Covid pandemic forced it to be postponed for 12 months.

Mr Sharma said: ‘The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and we need to work together to deliver a cleaner, greener world.

‘I am delighted to have been asked by the Prime Minister to dedicate all my energies to this urgent task.’

He will also chair the Climate Action Implementation Committee to coordinate Government action towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Labour business spokesman Ed Miliband said: ‘It’s welcome that Alok Sharma is doing the Cop presidency as a full-time role. It’s absolutely crucial that the full political, diplomatic and strategic resources of government are directed to the most ambitious outcome at Glasgow.’