In this newsletter:
1) Alok Sharma attacks Rishi Sunak for COP27 snub
The Sunday Times, 30 October 2022
2) Green Tory MP Nadine Dorries condemns Rishi Sunak for not attending COP27 summit
Evening Standard, 29 October 2022
3) Rishi Sunak warned of threat from ‘bitter’ Tory MPs
The Independent on Sunday, 30 October 2022
4) Rishi Sunak put on notice as Boris Johnson allies plot grand return to Number 10
Express on Sunday, 30 October 2022
5) No 10 alarm as Boris Johnson plans to attend COP27 climate summit
The Observer, 30 October 2022
6) Green Britain: Thousands of hotels, pubs and restaurants are closing as energy crisis hits home
The Sunday Times, 30 October 2022
S&P Global, 25 October 2022
8) After Russia: Europe turns to Africa for fossil fuel supplies
The New York Times, 28 October 2022
9) Egypt cancels activist events at COP27 in blow to NGOs
The Guardian, 25 October 2022
10) What to expect from COP27: China, India and developing nations seek $1.3 trillion a year in climate funding
The Wall Street Journal, 4 November 2021
Full details:
1) Alok Sharma attacks Rishi Sunak for COP27 snub
The Sunday Times, 30 October 2022
Rishi Sunak risks undermining Britain’s position as a world leader on green issues if he sticks with his decision to shun Cop27, the government’s climate tsar has said.
Alok Sharma warned that the Tories would be punished at the next election if they ditched their environmental focus.
The president of last year’s Cop26 summit in Glasgow, who will lead the UK negotiating team at the UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh next week, said: “I’m pretty disappointed that the prime minister is not going. I understand that he’s got a huge in tray of domestic issues that he has to deal with.
“But I would say that going to Cop27 would allow for engagement with other world leaders. And I think it does send a signal — if the prime minister was to go — about our renewed commitment on this issue.”
In an uncharacteristically outspoken interview, he said: “If you look at what happened in the Australian elections in the past few months, one of the reasons that the conservatives didn’t win through is because people didn’t feel they took this issue seriously enough.”
Last night it was reported that Boris Johnson is planning to attend the summit in Egypt to show his support for international efforts to tackle climate change. However, the move has been met with alarm by figures in No 10, according to The Observer, who fear it will be seen as a thinly veiled criticism of his predecessor for declining to attend.
Downing Street refused to comment when approached, insisting it did not comment on individuals attending the gathering.
Sharma’s comments will inflame the row over the government’s commitment to Cop27, where the UK will hand over the presidency of the UN climate process to Egypt. Johnson and Liz Truss had each committed to attend when they were in No 10, but Sunak said he would stay away to focus on “pressing domestic challenges”. World leaders including President Biden and President Macron of France are to attend.
The King, despite his long commitment to environmental issues, will not be attending, a decision made under Truss’s government but opposed by Sharma.
Charles is now expected to host a pre-summit reception at Buckingham Palace at the end of this week, attended by 200 international leaders in the field, decision makers and NGOs. Sharma is expected to attend, as is the prime minister, who will make a speech.
Palace sources say the King understands that his role has changed since his accession and is now about “convening people with expertise”, in this case on climate change.
No 10 confirmed that the government had advised Charles on whether to travel to Egypt, and said: “It was unanimously agreed that it would not be the right occasion for the King to visit in person.”
Sharma, who has held ministerial jobs since July 2016, serving under Theresa May, Johnson and Truss, was removed from the cabinet by Sunak last week, and is no longer a minister.
He will retain his position as Cop president until he hands over to Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian foreign minister, next Sunday, and will then represent the UK at the two weeks of discussions. He remains an MP.
Freed from the constraints of collective ministerial responsibility, Sharma issued a warning to the new prime minister.
He also criticised the government’s energy policy, saying that continuing to issue oil and gas licences was incompatible with the UK’s legally binding net zero target. And, he said, Sunak should beef up his windfall tax on oil giants, calling for rebates only to companies that invest in renewables.
“People want the UK leadership to continue — they really value what we have been doing,” Sharma said. “So I hope, irrespective of who goes or not, that we continue this leadership on climate.
“For me, it is one of the defining issues of this decade. And actually — this isn’t just about the environment. You know, if you get this right, this is also about green jobs, about inward investment.”
Sharma, who held three cabinet jobs under Johnson and publicly backed him to return as prime minister, insisted that he supported Sunak.
“I’m very positive about what the new prime minister has done in the first few days of office. He has put back in place the moratorium on fracking. I think that was absolutely the right thing to have done. He has also very clearly said we were going to stick to our net zero commitments, that he cares very deeply about ensuring that we leave the environment in a better shape for the next generation.”
Sharma added: “What we now need is to see all of that, as a commitment, flow through into implementation.”
Truss made “growth at any cost” her overriding priority. Plans to water down planning rules, introduce “investment zones”, strip back environmental protection and restart fracking were bitterly opposed by charities including the RSPB, the National Trust and the Woodland Trust.
Key environmental divisions remain, particularly over the expansion of onshore wind generation — which Sunak has suggested he opposes. Speaking on Friday night, Sunak said the UK’s climate leadership was “almost unmatched” globally, adding: “I just think, at the moment, it’s right that I’m also focusing on the pressing domestic challenges we have with the economy.”
Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, said on Twitter: “The prime minister is WRONG not to go to COP. Global warming is the biggest crisis facing our planet and net zero creates many thousands of jobs.”
After last year’s summit in Glasgow, Sharma warned that the chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C — seen by scientists as vital to avoid catastrophe — was fading.
Now, he said, the situation was even more precarious. “There is still a narrow window to get there. We know what we need to do, which is faster deployment of many of the existing technologies that we already have, clean energy, or transport. We just need to do this at a much faster pace. This is another critical Cop.”
Evening Standard, 29 October 2022
Nadine Dorries has criticised Rishi Sunak following the news that he will not be attending the Cop27 summit.
Downing Street said the absence of the Prime Minister did not mean environmental issues had slipped down the agenda as three cabinet ministers – the foreign, business and environment secretaries – would attend the summit, just a year after the event was held in Glasgow and attended by Boris Johnson.
Ms Dorries said on Twitter it was wrong for Mr Sunak not to attend because global warming was one of the “biggest crises facing our planet”.
She challenged the former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg on his assertion that Mr Sunak was right not to attend, tweeting: “For balance, my friend the Prime Minister is wrong not to go to COP.
“Global warming is the biggest crisis facing our planet and net zero creates many 1,000s of jobs, which is good for the economy. COP in Glasgow was most successful ever … but don’t expect media to report that.”
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said Mr Sunak’s absence amounted to a “failure of leadership”.
Full story
3) Rishi Sunak warned of threat from ‘bitter’ Tory MPs
The Independent on Sunday, 30 October 2022
Mr Sunak faces huge challenges keeping his party together ahead, with Tories loyal to Mr Johnson such as Nadine Dorries, Sir Christopher Chope and Zac Goldsmith calling for an early election.
Clamour for a general election is growing among voters, as Rishi Sunak’s allies warned “bitter” Tory MPs opposed to his leadership against any moves which could bring down the government.
Public pressure for an immediate election continues to build, with MPs’ inboxes flooded with pleas for a snap vote and the TUC and People’s Assembly set to stage major rallies next week.
More than 460,000 people have signed a petition set up by The Independent arguing it is time for voters to decide who should govern the country as part of our Election Now campaign.
Focus group bosses said there had been a huge surge in demand for a fresh election following the chaos which saw Liz Truss ousted and Mr Sunak become the third Tory PM since Boris Johnson led his party to victory on the basis of the 2019 manifesto.
In sessions shared with The Independent, voters in red-wall seats in the North and Midlands said Mr Sunak was “in the job without having to fight for it” and deciding on the government “should be down to us”.
Constitutional experts also said backbench Tory rebellions could collapse the Sunak administration and spark a snap vote – pointing out that an election becomes “inescapable” if the PM cannot lead a stable government.
Mr Sunak faces huge challenges keeping his party together ahead, with Tories loyal to Mr Johnson such as Nadine Dorries, Sir Christopher Chope and Zac Goldsmith calling for an early election...
The scale of the challenge for Mr Sunak in continuing to get big economic measures through parliament “will depend how stubborn colleagues want to be,” said Sir Roger, who backed Penny Mordaunt for the leadership.
One senior Tory MP, who supported Sunak, said: “It would be bonkers to try to replace the leader or move against the government when it comes to the finances. It would be just mad. It would require an immediate general election. I would urge them to think very carefully [about rebellions].”
Another Tory, a former minister said “bitter” Johnson loyalists would be “well-advised to be cautious” about rebelling on major issues because of the risk of losing their seat in an early election. “It would be turkeys voting for Christmas.”
Full story
4) Rishi Sunak put on notice as Boris Johnson allies plot grand return to Number 10
Express on Sunday, 30 October 2022
The new Prime Minister has only been in the Downing Street hot seat for a matter of days, but allies of his predecessor already piling on the pressure.
Boris Johnson could still make a stunning return as Prime Minister before the next general election if Rishi Sunak doesn't do enough to close the gap in the polls with the Labour Party, allies have claimed.
Last Sunday, Mr Johnson pulled out of the Conservative Party leadership contest to replace the resigning Liz Truss after deciding it was too soon for him to unite the bickering MPs in the party that led to his downfall in July. This cleared the way for Mr Sunak to become the new Tory leader and Prime Minister, which was formally confirmed earlier this week.
Despite his decision to withdraw from the leadership contest, Mr Johnson's campaign team had claimed he had reached the threshold of 100 MPs needed to get on the ballot paper.
Now allies of the Prime Minister fear Mr Sunak may struggle to beat Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the polls.
They believe Tory MPs could turn to former Prime Minister Mr Johnson - who led the party to a huge 80-seat majority in the 2019 General Election - in the months leading up to the next national vote, which at the moment is scheduled for 2024.
One friend told the MailOnline: "He thinks the job is not done. It's just not quite the right time. The Parliamentary party is not in quite the right place. But it is probably a matter of time.
"As the next election approaches, the focus of Tory MPs will switch increasingly to who can win and who can save their seat. If they don't think the current lot can do it, he (Boris) will always be there as the emergency cord."
The source added: "These days you need a tripartite mandate - you need the MPs, the Tory membership and the country. Sunak has got the MPs but it's yet to be confirmed whether he can get the other two."
Mr Sunak has only been in the top job less than a week, but already the signs are encouraging for the new Prime Minister.
The first polls suggest the former Chancellor has made some progress closing the gap on Labour but is still significantly some way off if the Tories are to have any hope of winning the next General Election.
Full story
5) No 10 alarm as Boris Johnson plans to attend Cop27 climate summit
The Observer, 30 October 2022
A row over prime minister Rishi Sunak’s refusal to attend the Cop27 climate summit took an extraordinary twist on Saturday night as the Observer was informed that his predecessor but one – Boris Johnson – is planning to attend the event.
Several sources said they had been told that Johnson is intending to go to the crucial meeting of world leaders in Egypt to show his solidarity with the battle against the climate crisis.
Johnson’s attendance would be potentially explosive just days after Sunak took over as prime minister and decided he did not have time to attend.
Johnson’s involvement would be seen as both an implicit criticism of Sunak for not going and an attempt to maintain and bolster his profile just a week after he abandoned his own attempts at a dramatic comeback to No 10. Several sources close to Johnson did not deny that he was set to go.
On Saturday night there were signs of a row at the highest levels of government over Johnson’s intentions, and indications that efforts may be under way to get the former prime minister to change his mind.
Asked whether Johnson was attending Cop27, the Cabinet Office, which is in charge of Cop planning and preparations, said it could not answer directly.
A spokesman said: “The government is absolutely committed to supporting Cop27 and leading international action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
“The UK will be fully represented by senior ministers, including the foreign, business and environment secretaries, as well as Cop president Alok Sharma. They will be working to ensure that countries continue to make progress on the groundbreaking commitments made at Cop26 in Glasgow.”
It is understood senior officials in government have been aware for some time that Johnson intends to attend the event in Sharm el-Sheikh, which is taking place from 6-17 November.
It remained unclear on Saturday night whether Johnson was planning to go as part of the official UK government delegation, which includes several MPs; as a guest of the incoming Egyptian Cop presidency; or as a guest of a non-governmental organisation or other national delegation.
The new prime minister’s decision not to attend has already provoked huge criticism from the environmental lobby and caused dismay in other governments.
Even MPs in his own party have been critical. Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary who led calls for Johnson to return as leader as Liz Truss’s government fell apart, said that “the prime minister is wrong not to go”.
“Global warming is the biggest crisis facing our planet and net zero creates many 100s of jobs which is good for the economy,” she tweeted. She said that the Cop26 conference in Glasgow, which took place under Johnson’s leadership, was “the most successful ever”.
Suggestions that Sunak urged King Charles not to attend the summit when he was keen to do so were denied by Buckingham Palace last night.
A spokesman for the palace said the decision that the king would not attend was agreed between all parties and taken entirely by mutual consent.
The palace said the king would demonstrate his own commitment to the Cop process by hosting an event at Buckingham Palace this week for business leaders, decision makers and NGOs that would be attended by the prime minister and Sharma.
Full story
6) Green Britain: Thousands of hotels, pubs and restaurants are closing as energy crisis hits home
The Sunday Times, 30 October 2022
Hotels, pubs and restaurants are facing the biggest crisis in living memory, according to the UK Hospitality trade association, with one in ten properties at risk of closure over the winter, partly as a result of the energy crisis.
The latest Hospitality Market Monitor from the market researchers CGA and the management consultants AlixPartners shows that 2,230 licensed premises closed down between June and September, which translates to an average of 24 per day.
Recent casualties include Crockers in Henley, Surrey; the popular Fox Hall Inn in Richmond, North Yorkshire; the Great House hotel in Lavenham, Suffolk; and the art deco Aberdeen Northern Hotel. In Chester the Bridge Street Townhouse hotel has been mothballed for a year in an attempt to save the business, with its owner, Steve Hesketh, blaming the continuing staffing crisis, rising energy and service costs and the impact of Brexit.
“Energy prices rose by up to 200 per cent in the first quarter and by up to 400 per cent in the second,” said the UK Hospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls. But even though gas prices have seen sharp falls — from £6.70 per therm in August to £1.80 last week — some analysts say that the pressure on operating costs is unlikely to ease before 2024.
“Room rates rose by around 10 per cent in June,” Nicholls said, “but with overall costs now up by around 18 per cent and rising, half of our members are not breaking even, and that’s not sustainable. We will inevitably see more closures — potentially one in ten — in the independent sector this winter.”
Survival strategies include taking rooms or entire floors off sale, reducing services, cancelling events such as Christmas parties that are dependent on ticket sales, closing down for part of the week or going into full hibernation — like the White Hart Inn in Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire, whose owners saw electricity bills triple to £17,500 in the most recent quarter. Another business being temporarily shuttered is the Old Churches House hotel in Dunblane, Perthshire. “I will lose less by closing,” said its owner, Alex McKie.
Graeme Smith, managing director of AlixPartners, at least sees glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel. “The situation is more positive than it was four weeks ago,” he said. “Energy costs are coming down, the interest peak has passed and staffing issues are beginning to improve. But the picture is still challenging for the independent sector because they can’t hedge their energy costs and lack the financial headroom to withstand external pressures.” ...
For proprietors of some of the nation’s 35,000 guesthouses, this winter could be “the final straw”, said David Weston of the Bed and Breakfast Association. “The sector is threatened from all sides, and for some small-business owners the headwinds are simply too strong,” he said. “We’re seeing a steady stream of people giving up. Others have taken the view that closing down for the winter to save on energy costs is the most sensible approach. Either way, there will be fewer B&Bs operating next summer than there were this year.”
Last week the £1.3 million Art B&B in Blackpool closed because of a lack of business. The proprietor of a B&B in the Peak District, who asked for her name to be withheld, said: “I’m hanging on by my fingertips. We have four double rooms that have gone up by £10 to £70 a night. That’s £280 a night for three nights a week if we’re lucky — and it still won’t pay the bills. We’re being hammered by energy costs, murdered by Booking.com [fees] and priced out by Airbnb. Sometimes you look at a business model and have to recognise that it’s no longer viable.”
Full story
S&P Global, 25 October 2022
India has pledged to push for increased climate finance for developing nations at the COP27 talks in Egypt Nov. 6-18, while holding its ground on using a mix of new fossil fuel production and low carbon energy sources to drive its own economic growth.
A key clause in its updated National Determined Contribution is to mobilize "new and additional funds from developed countries" to implement mitigation and adaptation actions in view of the resource gap.
"We haven't seen much money yet coming for energy transition from the developed countries," India's Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh said Oct. 6 at an ISA event attended by member countries' ambassadors.
Singh said the ISA would "take up the cause" of demanding delivery of the Paris Agreement's $100 billion/yr financing pledge, which was supposed to run from 2020 to 2025 before increasing thereafter.
At COP26 in Glasgow, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "justice would truly be served" if pressure was put on developed economies to live up to their climate commitments, which should rise to $1 trillion.
Full story
8) After Russia: Europe turns to Africa for fossil fuel supplies
The New York Times, 28 October 2022
African leaders lamented that it had taken a war, thousands of miles away in Ukraine, to give them bargaining power on energy deals, and they described what they saw as a double standard.
European leaders have been converging on Africa’s capital cities, eager to find alternatives to Russian natural gas — sparking hope among their counterparts in Africa that the invasion of Ukraine may tilt the scales in the continent’s unequal relationship with Europe, attracting a new wave of gas investments despite pressure to pivot to renewables.
In September, Poland’s president arrived in Senegal in pursuit of gas deals. In May, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, came seeking the same thing and in recent weeks told the German Parliament that Europe’s energy crisis necessitated working “together with countries where there is the possibility of developing new gas fields,” while keeping pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“With the war, it’s a U-turn,” said Mamadou Fall Kane, energy adviser to the president of Senegal. “The narrative has changed.”
The flurry of European overtures has led to new or fast-tracked energy projects, with talk of more to come. The hope in African capitals is that Europe’s appetite will mean the financing of gas facilities not just for export but for use at home. In parts of the continent, the economic stakes are enormous.
Italian government ministers have accompanied executives from Eni, one of the largest energy companies in the world, to Algeria, Angola and the Republic of Congo as well as to Mozambique, where a natural-gas terminal operated by Eni is expected to begin supplying gas to Europe in a matter of days. Eni is now discussing an additional terminal with the Mozambican government.
And in recent weeks, officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo have embarked on an international marketing tour to draw the attention of U.S. and European companies to new oil and gas blocks they have put up for auction. Climate activists have denounced the auction because it includes oil blocks that overlap a gorilla sanctuary as well as fragile peatlands that store immense amounts of carbon dioxide, a planet-warming greenhouse gas.
In interviews, African leaders lamented that it had taken a war, thousands of miles away in Ukraine, to give them bargaining power on energy deals, and they described what they saw as a double standard. Europe, after all, used not just natural gas, but far dirtier fuels like coal, for hundreds of years to drive an age of empire-building and industrialization.
Their main complaint: Less developed nations should be free to burn more gas in coming years, despite the climate crisis and the need for the world cut back on fossil fuels, because their citizens deserve higher standards of living and greater access to reliable electricity and other basics. But European and international lenders have made it far too costly, Africa’s leaders say.
Instead, European leaders have often seemed to preach to Africans about reducing carbon dioxide emissions while providing little of the necessary financing to help build green energy alternatives, all while continuing to emit far more than Africa.
“Just two to three months ago, those same Europeans who were lecturing us on ‘no gas’ say they’ll make a compromise,” said Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union’s commissioner for energy and infrastructure. “We are trying to survive. But instead we are being infantilized.”
Full story
9) Egypt cancels activist events at COP27 in blow to NGOs
The Guardian, 25 October 2022
Groups say cancellations could restrict debate as host country tightens security for opening days
Civil society organisations and governments may have to cancel events at the UN climate summit in November as the Egyptian hosts have tightened security for the opening days.
Cop27 will open on Sunday 6 November in Sharm el-Sheikh, and on the Monday and Tuesday world leaders are due to descend on the conference centre for talks to direct their negotiating teams.
Many countries and civil society groups have set up pavilions inside the UN-secured “blue zone”, where governments will meet for the leaders’ summit. The pavilions typically host events with scientists, politicians, business leaders, celebrities and campaigners to exchange ideas on key climate issues.
But they have been told that events planned for the opening Monday will have to be cancelled unless they involve visiting heads of state. In an email seen by the Guardian, the UN wrote that “the government of Egypt has decided there will be no pavilion events on 7 November 2022”.
NGOs have raised concerns because they have carefully targeted their rosters of events to raise key issues they say must be addressed at the two-week-long conference. They fear the cancellations could restrict debate and undermine the role of non-state actors in the event. Media access to pavilions and other areas within the blue zone is also likely to be heavily restricted.
Full story
10) What to expect from COP27: China, India and developing nations seek $1.3 trillion a year in climate funding
The Wall Street Journal, 4 November 2021
Most of the world’s developing countries have backed a demand for wealthy nations to channel at least $1.3 trillion in climate finance to them annually starting in 2030, the opening salvo in one of the most contentious negotiating topics at the COP26 climate summit.
African nations and a group called the Like-Minded Developing Countries, which includes China, India and Indonesia, said in a document they submitted to the United Nations at the summit that half the money should go toward funding renewable energy in the developing world and half toward protecting these countries from the effects of global warming.
Developed nations have long pledged to help pay for developing nations to respond to climate change. That promise was crucial to sealing the Paris accord in 2015, when the U.S., Europe and other wealthy countries agreed to provide $100 billion a year from 2020 through 2025.
The $1.3 trillion target for mobilizing funds reflects the huge investments that will be needed after that to reach the climate targets of the Paris accord, the paper says.
“The post 2025 mobilization goal must reflect the ambition, progression and the collective agreement to stay well below 2 (degrees) Celsius and aspire to stay within the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature goal,” the paper says.
Developed nations didn’t hit that target in 2020, falling $20 billion short, and aren’t likely to meet it until 2023, climate negotiators said in a report in October. The shortfall has angered developing nations and complicated the talks in Glasgow.
Western officials say they aren’t ready to set a target for climate finance post-2025, given how difficult it has been for them to hit the $100 billion target. They will only begin the talks at COP26 on a goal for post-2025.
“We’re not feeling particularly capable now,” said one European official. “It’s really not the right time.”
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