Britain’s new premier to skip COP27 climate summit

LONDON

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend next month’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt, his office said Thursday.

Sunak will not take part in the summit due to "other pressing domestic commitments," said a spokesperson for 10 Downing Street.

The spokesperson said the autumn budget was among Sunak’s top priorities but the government remained committed to its climate policies.

The UK will be represented by Alok Sharma, the president for COP26, and other secretaries.

Sunak's decision was an "embarrassing reflection" of the government’s failure to deliver on its COP26 commitments, Ed Miliband, the Labor party's shadow secretary of state for climate change, told the BBC.

COP27 will take place this year in Sharm el-Sheikh from Nov. 6-18.