Connect with us

Published

on

Rishi Sunak will call for a “global mission for new jobs and clean growth” as he joins world leaders for the first day of COP27 in Egypt.

The PM, who only announced he would be attending the climate change talks in a U-turn last week, will tell attendees today it is essential countries stick to commitments made in Glasgow last year if warming is to be limited to 1.5C.

After touching down on Sunday night, COP27 will be Mr Sunak’s first outing representing the UK on the world stage since becoming prime minister last month. He will join others including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

In his opening address in Sharm El-Sheikh, the PM will argue the transition away from fossil fuels can drive growth and deliver jobs in new green industries of the future, while cutting off funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“The world came together in Glasgow with one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5C. The question today is: can we summon the collective will to deliver on those promises?” Mr Sunak is expected to say.

“I believe we can. By honouring the pledges we made in Glasgow, we can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.

“And we can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That’s a legacy we could be proud of.”

More on Rishi Sunak

UK funding for ‘green technologies’

Downing Street said the PM will be looking to continue the success of last year’s COP26 summit in Glasgow with more than £200m in UK funding to protect forests and invest in “green technologies”.

This is expected to include a further £65.5m for the clean energy innovation facility which provides grants to researchers and scientists in developing countries, £90m for conservation in the Congo Basin rainforest and £65m to support indigenous and local forest communities.

But the prime minister has faced criticism back on home turf over the government’s decision to issue more licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea on its continued opposition to new onshore wind.

And it is also not known if Mr Sunak will make an announcement on renewable energy, such as allowing more solar farms.

Read more:
Egypt urges Sunak not to ditch UK’s climate pledges
Alok Sharma says countries must deliver on their climate change promises

Labour’s shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband has called on the PM to drop the plans and end the government’s opposition to onshore wind.

He told Sky News: “It makes no sense, and it makes a complete joke, frankly, of Rishi Sunak, the man who couldn’t even decide whether he was going to go COP27.

“It makes a complete joke of the idea that he’s somehow a leader on clean energy.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

COP27 ‘can’t be a PR exercise’

The prime minister had originally not been due to travel to COP27, saying his priority was preparing for his government’s autumn budget later this month and sorting out the country’s public finances.

But Mr Sunak was forced into a U-turn after critics, including members from his own party, questioned his commitment to tackling climate change.

This year’s summit takes place against a backdrop of increasingly extreme weather events taking place around the world, coupled with both the energy and cost of living crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

The climate talks will continue until 18 November.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What are climate tipping points?

What’s Labour’s position?

As COP27 begins, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to set out Labour’s plans to boost green industries and jobs across Britain by supporting the development of net-zero industrial clusters to boost local economies.

Labour says these net-zero industrial clusters will bring together heavy industries like cement, ceramics, steel, and chemicals, with the low-carbon technology of the future – carbon capture and storage and hydrogen – to provide a clean and prosperous future for the UK’s industrial heartlands.

The Labour leader will also accuse the government of “dragging its feet on climate at every turn”.

His climate change shadow minister Mr Miliband said: “Only Labour has a world-leading plan for 100% clean power by 2030 – to cut bills, deliver energy security, create jobs and industries here in Britain, and lead the world in tackling the climate crisis.”

Debate

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm.

All on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

Continue Reading

UK

Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Published

on

By

Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

Continue Reading

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

on

By

Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

Continue Reading

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

on

By

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

Continue Reading

Trending