THE Prime Minister is “missing in action” on efforts to tackle climate change ahead of a critical summit in Glasgow, Labour leader Keir Starmer has claimed.
Starmer hit out at Boris Johnson, as he insisted the UK Government needed to show more “leadership” on the issue.
He added that the PM lacked the necessary skills in “diplomacy” to be able to bring people together and build a coalition of nations committed to reducing emissions.
Starmer spoke out during a two-day visit to Scotland which he said was “particularly focusing on the climate crisis”.
The Labour leader stated: “We’ve got COP26 coming up here in Glasgow, a hugely important moment because Paris told us what we have got to do, Glasgow has got to answer ‘we are going to do it’.”
READ MORE: Keir Starmer claims Labour is 'winning back support' in Scotland
At the Paris summit in 2015, leaders from across the world agreed to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, and preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Starmer said: “The UK needs to show leadership, leadership from the Prime Minister, at the moment he is missing in action. We need the ability to build coalitions, to bring the world together, and we need to show we are keeping to our obligations.”
He argued skills in “international diplomacy and bringing people together in a coalition” were needed to achieve this, but added: “Those skills are missing with this Prime Minister.
“He’s not known for his diplomacy abroad, he’s not known for building coalitions, he’s actually known across the globe for his rule-breaking.”
Starmer continued: “The preparation between now and what happens in November in Glasgow is hugely important, we can’t miss this moment. The climate crisis is at a critical stage.”
Action over the next decade will be key in whether climate change targets can be met, he added. “Everybody needs to come together to deliver here in Glasgow, it is a very important moment for us,” Starmer said.
The Labour leader also called for “rapid green investment” across the UK as new figures reveal more than 75,000 green jobs have been lost over the past five years.
Starmer said the UK had to invest more in jobs in renewable energy and technology via a “Green New Deal”.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics cited by Labour show a loss of 33,800 “direct” jobs and a further 41,400 jobs in the supply chain for low-carbon and renewable sectors between 2014 and 2019.
This includes thousands of fewer jobs in solar power, onshore wind, renewable electricity and bioenergy.
Starmer said: “Tackling the climate crisis must be at the heart of everything we do.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel