London [UK], October 21: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend the COP30 climate summit next month despite reports previously suggesting he would skip the meeting in Brazil. Downing Street confirmed on Monday that Starmer would attend the summit in Belem, near the mouth of the Amazon river.
The prime minister's official spokesman said the move was part of efforts to restore the UK as "a global leader for climate action and green growth." He added that net zero was "the economic opportunity of the 21st century" and could "reignite our industrial heartlands" and "create good jobs for the future." Starmer attended last year's COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, but had been reported to be considering not travelling to Brazil for the leader's summit in early November this year.
The reports brought charges of "hypocrisy" from the Liberal Democrats, who pointed to Starmer's criticism of Rishi Sunak over suggestions the then-prime minister would skip the 2022 summit. Sunak did eventually attend the summit in Egypt, and the following meeting in the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Qatar Tribune
