Keir Starmer threw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump at the Cop29 summit today by urging him to ‘show leadership’ on climate change.
The Prime Minister issued the challenge to the US President-elect as he arrived at the UN conference in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
Sir Keir is one of just a small handful of world leaders who have come to the annual event, aimed at curbing catastrophic global warming caused by greenhouse gases.
It comes as comments from Mr Trump have cast a shadow over the summit. He has promised to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement – in which governments made pledges to reduce pollution – as he believes global warming is ‘a hoax’.
Current US President Joe Biden is not attending, and other notable absentees include President Xi Jinping of China, the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas emitter, and prime minister Narendra Modi of India, the third-biggest emitter.
French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are all staying at home. The only other G7 leader taking part in the summit is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.
One surprise attendee is the Taliban, which has found time to join the event.
Matiul Haq Khalis, the head of Afghanistan’s Environmental Protection Agency, spoke to the media about the impact of climate change on the country.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister had no plans to meet the delegation.
The choice of Azerbaijan to host the talks has come under criticism over its human rights record, with failings including the persecution of political opponents and detainment of activists.
Sir Keir said of the summit: ‘I have repeatedly emphasised the importance of global leadership when it comes to the climate challenge, and therefore it is very important for me to come to Cop… I see the climate challenge as a huge opportunity for the UK if we get it right, and that is why we have made it one of our missions to have clean power by 2030.’
He said there was ‘a global race’ to be the leader on renewable energy, adding: ‘I want us to win the race.’
Of Mr Trump’s remarks on climate change, Sir Keir said: ‘I’m not going to comment on his views, I am very clear in mine which is that the climate challenge is something that we have got to rise to and that’s why I’ve repeatedly said we’ve got to show leadership.’
Meanwhile, developing countries are calling for richer countries to pay out ‘trillions’ to help modernise their economies and to invest in clean, green technologies.
Developed countries committed to contributing $100billion (£78billion) a year in climate finance between 2021 and 2026, of which the UK’s overall contribution has been £11.6billion.
Under the terms of the 2015 Paris agreement, 197 signatories committed to limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius.
Last month, the UN warned the world was on a path towards a catastrophic 3.1 degrees Celsius of warming this century based on current actions.