Keir Starmer reportedly planning to skip COP30 leaders' summit
Reacting to a report in the Financial Times that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering skipping the COP30 leaders' summit in Brazil, Laura Kelly, director of IIED’s Sustainable Markets research group, said:
"Pandering to climate deniers by refusing to show up would do serious damage to Britain's global standing and aspirations of international leadership.
"The government shouldn't be swayed by claims that people in the UK don't care about climate change because polling proves they do. This crisis is already affecting their lives through higher food prices, flooding damage and more.
"People want to know their leaders are doing something about it. Staying home for fear of criticism will only hurt voters' confidence in global efforts to fight climate change, in turn reducing appetite for negotiations and creating a vicious cycle."
Notes to editors
- Seventy-four per cent of Britons think climate change is important, a recent survey found
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