Rishi Sunak makes his debut on the world stage at Cop27

Here’s my number, so call me, maybe: Moment Rishi Sunak is handed handwritten note by Swedish counterpart as PM makes his debut on the world stage at Cop27 – including face-to-face meeting with new Italian far right leader Giorgia Meloni

Rishi Sunak was given a personal welcome by his Swedish counterpart today as he made his international debut as Prime Minister.

Ulf Kristersson went old school and wrote down his contact details for Mr Sunak as they met at the Cop27 environmental conference in Egypt. 

In an awkward image from Sharm El Sheikh the Scandinavian leader bent down in front of Mr Sunak to scribble on a piece of paper.

The PM is attending the gathering of world leaders by the Red Sea after reversing a decision to stay away to focus on domestic economic problems. 

But as well as meetings with Mr Kristersson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen he also took part on a perhaps more controversial bilaterial meeting. 

He held a face-to-face discussion with Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The pair chatted about house building and planning while journalists were in the room at the start of the bilateral meeting.

The Prime Minister and Ms Meloni, Italy’s first woman premier, took office within days of each other last month.

Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party leads the country’s first far-right-led government since the Second World War.

He faces further tough meetings today, including with Emmanuel Macron. 

The Prime Minister and French President are due to meet this afternoon at the Cop-27 climate summit in Egypt after the PM vowed to ‘get a grip’ on the Channel migrant crisis.

Ulf Kristersson went old school and wrote down his contact details for Mr Sunak as they met at the Cop27 environmental conference in Egypt.

He held a face-to-face discussion with Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Prime Minister and Ms Meloni, Italy’s first woman premier, took office within days of each other last month.

The PM is attending the gathering of world leaders by the Red Sea after reversing a decision to stay away to focus on domestic economic problems. he also met Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (above)

He also met EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen amid ongoing problems with the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland

The PM met von der Leyen amid ongoing tensions with the bloc over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

As well as tackling climate change, the Ukraine war and energy crisis are also likely to feature in the two leaders’ talks.

The pair smiled and thanked the media at the start of the meeting. 

The Cop27 conference takes place against a backdrop of increasingly devastating extreme weather around the world, as well as an energy and cost-of-living crisis driven by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

As the meeting kicked off in Sharm El-Sheikh there was yet another warning from UN experts that efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5C and avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change was ‘barely within reach’.

The past eight years are on track to be the hottest on record, with sea level rise accelerating, the melting of Europe’s Alpine glaciers shattering records, and devastating floods, drought and heatwaves hitting in 2022.

After wrangling between delegations, the issue of funding for loss and damage from climate change, such as destruction of crops, buildings and infrastructure in poorer countries, is now an item on the official agenda for the talks.

Mr Sunak, attending Cop27 after what opponents called a ‘screeching U-turn’ having planned to stay home to work on domestic financial issues, will use his speech to the conference to call for a ‘global mission for clean growth’.

Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at Rishi Sunak over his initial decision not to attend Cop27 in Egypt, promising that a Labour prime minister would work to ‘pull leaders together’ on climate change.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Imperial College London, the Labour leader said: ‘The first difference a Labour government would make is that you would have a prime minister who wanted to go to Cop because we realise just how important it is, because we realise that is not just about climate, it is also about the cost of living, it is about energy, it is about the next generation of jobs.

‘You would have a prime minister, a Labour prime minister, on the world stage, pulling leaders together. I think Rishi Sunak made a big mistake in saying initially he wouldn’t go, because it gave the impression that the UK no longer wants to be leading on the global stage.

‘I think that is a mistake for our country, it is a mistake globally and I think it is a mistake for the climate crisis, which we have got to handle.’

Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at Rishi Sunak over his initial decision not to attend Cop27 in Egypt, promising that a Labour prime minister would work to ‘pull leaders together’ on climate change.

Rishi Sunak joined the COP27 summit today urging a ‘global mission for clean growth’ – but is facing a growing row about ‘reparations’ to states hit by climate change.

The PM is in Egypt for the gathering – his first test on the foreign stage since entering No10 – having U-turned on his original decision not to attend.

But the event is promising to be tricky as developing countries demand payouts for extreme weather events caused by climate change – at the same time as the UK imposes swingeing austerity and tax rises at home.

Nicola Sturgeon – who has also jetted in for the summit – upped the pressure this morning, saying there is an ‘obligation’ on countries that industrialised first to help ‘deal with the impacts’. 

Business Secretary Grant Shapps pointedly refused to rule out the idea, saying the UK is ‘supportive of discussions’ taking place at Sharm El-Sheikh.

However, former PM Boris Johnson told a fringe event that Britain ‘simply doesn’t have the financial resources’ to pay reparations and ‘no country does’.

While admitting that the UK had contributed vast carbon emissions, he argued that the focus should be on finding private investment and technological solutions. ‘Let’s look to the future,’ he added.

Mr Sunak could have an awkward encounter with his predecessor later, although the premier insisted there is ‘no hatchet to be buried’. 

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