Boris Johnson confirms he will go to COP27 as Rishi Sunak’s plans remain unknown
Boris Johnson has confirmed he will attend COP27 in Egypt next week as question marks remain over whether the UK’s new prime minister will join him.
Speaking in his first interview since leaving office for Sky News’ Ukraine: A Modern War programme, the former PM told Mark Austin he was “invited by the Egyptians” to the climate conference.
And he said he was “very happy to go”, adding: “I happen to have a particular interest.”
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Mr Johnson claimed it had “become unfashionable” to talk about the previous COP that was held in Glasgow last year – perhaps making a dig at some of his less climate conscious colleagues in parliament.
But he said the conference had been a “fantastic global success” which did “a huge amount of good for the planet”, and at this year’s event, due to kick off on Sunday, he wanted to “talk a little bit about how I see things and how we see things in the UK”.
During the interview, Mr Johnson also told Sky News Vladimir Putin “would be crazy” to use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine and that he did not think he would.
You can watch the full interview on Ukraine: A Modern War on Sky News from 7.30pm tonight
Mr Johnson’s confirmation could put additional pressure on Rishi Sunak to attend COP27, rather than leaving the global stage for his predecessor to perform on.
Initially, the new resident of Number 10 was not going to head to the conference in Sharm El-Sheikh due to “other pressing domestic commitments”.
But Mr Sunak faced a raft of criticism, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accusing him of displaying a “failure of leadership” and Greenpeace UK saying he was not taking climate change “seriously enough”.
COP26 president and former cabinet minister Alok Sharma – who lost his seat at the table in the new PM’s reshuffle – also suggested Mr Sunak risked undermining the UK’s position as a world leader on green issues if he shunned the conference.
Within days, Downing Street changed course, saying the PM’s attendance was “under review”, depending on progress around preparation for the economic statement, set for 17 November.
Other politicians attending COP27 include US president Joe Biden and America’s special envoy on climate change, John Kerry.
A spokesperson for the Scottish government also confirmed last week that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is planning to attend.
Mr Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss had been due to go to the summit before the demise of her own premiership.
King Charles, who as Prince of Wales was a vocal campaigner on climate issues, will also not attend this year, but will host a reception for key COP27 figures at Buckingham Palace on Friday ahead of the event.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Read more:
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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