Kerry visits UK on European tour to strengthen resolve in climate change fight

JOHN Kerry, US President Joe Biden’s special envoy, has held talks in London with Boris Johnson and other UK Government ministers about tackling climate change.

The visit by former Secretary of State is the latest sign of the new administration’s dramatic break from the approach to climate issues under the previous White House incumbent Donald Trump.

In November, the UK hosts the most prestigious international conference the country has ever staged with the major United Nations Cop26 summit in Glasgow. Hundreds of world leaders plus tens of thousands of delegates are due to convene in Scotland for nearly two weeks of debates in trying to get more countries to meet net-zero carbon targets by the middle of the century.

Mr Kerry is on a whirlwind tour of European capitals aiming to strengthen global ambition to tackle climate change.

Yesterday, he not only met the Prime Minister but also Alok

Sharma, the Cop26 President, saying that they were “strong partners in the work ahead”.

Under Mr Biden, the US has returned to the international

Paris climate agreement, which was controversially abandoned by his predecessor.

Mr Kerry will this week also meet European Union leaders in Brussels and the French Government in Paris during his visit.

On April 22, the US President will host a leaders’ summit on climate change.

No 10 also revealed Mr Kerry held meetings with Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, and Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, at No 11 and the Foreign Office respectively.