Keir Starmer vows to put UK 'back on world stage' as he meets leaders at COP28
Keir Starmer today vowed to put Britain “back on the world stage” after Rishi Sunak rolled back on his green promises.
The Labour boss held talks with a series of world leaders at the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai. He blasted the Prime Minister, who this week cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart in the latest row over the Elgin Marbles, which Athens wants returned from the British Museum.
Hitting out at the "smallness" of Mr Sunak's politics after the PM claimed Labour was "catching up" on green issues, Mr Starmer said: "The smallness of his politics is becoming a feature of his politics - we saw it with the Greek Prime Minister." He said the Labour delegation, which included Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Shadow Net-Zero Secretary Ed Miliband, held meetings with leaders desperate to learn more about Labour’s environmental plans.
Mr Starmer said: “They want reassurance that an incoming Labour government will ensure that the UK is leading again on the international stage. There is some despondency, I have to be honest, about what many partners see as backward steps in the last two or three years by this government."
Following the frontbench trio’s talks with world leaders, Mr Miliband said: "We hear people saying all the time we need Britain back, the world needs Britain back." He accused the PM of being out of sync with the public mood, stating: "Look at what's happened since he did his net-zero roll back in September - it hasn't worked for him, and that's because he's got the British people wrong. They don't want an imported, US-style, culture war on climate, they want a government that will tackle the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis together."
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Referring to scathing criticism from former PM Theresa May - who attacked Mr Sunak for watering down green pledges - he said: "I think he's just misjudged the public mood and that's why people in his own party like Theresa May so horrified by what he's doing."
Mr Sunak urged major polluting countries to follow the UK's lead in slashing emissions. Holding a press conference at the summit, he said: "The world needs to do more to tackle climate change. We've made real progress, including at the Glasgow summit. But the climate science and mounting evidence of climate-related disasters show that we're not moving quickly or effectively enough.
"So I'm calling on major emitters to dramatically accelerate delivery on what they've already promised. Everyone can do more - and let's be very clear, the UK is leading the charge."
Defending the UK's record on tackling climate change - after he faced criticism for slowing the pace at which petrol and diesel cars are phased out and the switch away from fossil fuel household boilers - he insisted: "We're absolutely committed to our net zero targets. We've already decarbonised faster than any other major economy. Our emissions are down 48% since 1990, compared to limited cuts from others and a 300% increase from China."
Mr Sunak was also forced to defend spending more time flying from Stansted Airport on the Government's A321 plane than on the ground in Dubai. He claimed it was "simplistic" and unfair to judge his commitment to tackling climate change on hours he spent at the summit.
"I feel very good that this has been a very productive day," he added.
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