Rishi Sunak U-turns on Cop27 and says he WILL now attend the climate talks
He originally said he would miss it to focus on the economy
Last updated 2nd Nov 2022
Rishi Sunak has changed his mind and has decided he will go to Cop27 in Egypt next week.
The new Prime Minister originally said that he'd miss the climate change conference as he was going to focus on the economy instead, but this morning he tweeted that there 'is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change.
Mr Sunak was initially not planning to attend, with Downing Street saying he was focusing on “depressing domestic challenges”.
However, the announcement by his predecessor Boris Johnson he was going to the talks piled further pressure on the PM to backtrack on his decision.
He had also faced widespread calls to attend, including from his own climate chief Alok Sharma, who presided over the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year.
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak and his wife
Rishi Sunak is MP for Richmond in Yorkshire. He was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent and is married to Akshata Murty (pictured) daughter of Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, they have two daughters together.
Rishi Sunak as Chancellor
Sunak was elected as an MP in 2015, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2019. Boris Johnson made him Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020.
Rishi Sunak during Covid
Sunak became a key member of the government during Covid, often appearing at press conferences and introducing the furlough scheme during the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak in the cabinet
Sunak remained Chancellor until resigning in July 2022, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he was stepping down.
Rishi Sunak leadership bid
After Boris stepped down, Sunak was one of many MPs who put themselves forward to become the new leader of the tory party. Despite getting to the final two candidates, party members voted for Liz Truss who became Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak King Charles
When Liz Truss resigned after only 45 days as PM Rishi Sunak stood again. After Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the leadership contest race, and Penny Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy, Sunak was announced as the new Conservative leader on 24 October and was appointed by King Charles III the next day.