Greta Thunberg said, in a newspaper interview, that Cop27 is a ‘scam’ for ‘greenwashing, lying and cheating’. Then she said to Jeremy Vine: ‘The fact that one of the most powerful people in the world [Rishi Sunak] doesn’t have time for this, it’s very symbolic and says that they may have other priorities.’ It is very disappointing that Mr Sunak did not listen to her words, recognising that the Cop is indeed a place of greenwashing etc and sticking to other priorities (though not ones pleasing to Greta). He has now gone back on his promise to stay away. This is a dreadful sign of weakness. His appeal lies in his sense of what matters most. There have already been 27 years of Cops, and yet global carbon emissions have continued to rise. They do not work. By giving in now, our new Prime Minister has let himself be captured by the false doctrine of climate ‘emergency’, and disabled from meeting our pressing energy needs.
At the time of writing, however, the King is still not going to Cop. He withdrew on the advice of Liz Truss. The new Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, says that whether he goes is ‘up to him’. This is surprising. For a reigning monarch to go to Cop is an official act and therefore something done only on prime ministerial advice. It is not for the King to act on how he feels: it is a matter for His Majesty’s Government. If the government itself is confused about this, then the King is exposed to political risk. If he does go after all, Sharm El Sheikh will be full of people trying to trap him into embarrassing his own Prime Minister.
The new King is often referred to on television, including the BBC, as ‘King Charles’.
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