COP26 1) Johnson will tell world leaders that it is “one minute to midnight” on climate change
“Boris Johnson will tell world leaders that it is “one minute to midnight” in the battle against climate change at the Cop26 conference in Glasgow today. The prime minister warned last night that the chances of limiting a global temperature rise to 1.5C were “in the balance,” as he admitted that the G20 summit of world leaders in Rome had failed to step up to the plate. “I think we have made reasonable progress at the G20,” Johnson said at a press conference last night. “There is still a huge way to go.” In a gloomy speech, Johnson said that the promises governments made six years ago were “starting to sound frankly hollow.” – The Times
- Storm disruption holds up COP26 travellers from Euston station – BBC
- Glasgow bin collectors and street cleaners to strike – The Guardian
- Prince Charles demands action – Daily Mail
- Sharma dismisses idea of carbon tax on red meat – Daily Telegraph
- ‘Window closing’ to meet 1.5C warming target warns Sharma – BBC
- Climate change could bring near-unliveable conditions for 3bn people, say scientists – Financial Times
- Interview with Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP – The Guardian
- JCB signs green hydrogen deal worth billions – BBC
>Today Gabriel Milland on Comment: Ignore the climate change sceptics. They speak only for themselves – not the mass of centre right and Red Wall voters
Yesterday:
- WATCH: “I want more out of every country” – Sharma on Russia and China’s contributions to fighting climate change
- WATCH: “It’s a battle we just have to win.” Lord Deben on the 1.5C temperature target.
- WATCH: Sharma on COP26. “My job is to act as shepherd in chief. This is on leaders”.
COP26 2) Trevelyan urges consumer boycott on firms that won’t “go green”
“Shoppers should be prepared to boycott firms who fail to go green, a minister has said. New International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan urged people to vote with their wallets to create a greener planet. Ms Trevelyan also piled pressure on nations dependent on Chinese investment to pressure it into speeding up being more environmentally-friendly. She said Britain must show “moral leadership” after two centuries of polluting the globe.” – The Sun
COP26 3) Foges: Trains are key to getting net zero on track
“As well as being more affordable, the railways should be more accessible. The Great Train Recovery must continue with a significant expansion of the network. On my kitchen wall hangs a map of the national train network pre-Beeching, and a thing of beauty it is, with hundreds of branch lines curling into the countryside, as delicate as filigree. Across the country there are bosky ghost lines crying out to be revived, but talk of reviving them never comes to much. Central government stands back as this is always a “local issue”; local governments set the bar of financial sustainability too high; thus many potentially transformative lines are buried under the bottom line.” – Clare Foges, The Times
Other COP26 comment
- Britain needs the latest 21st-century mini nuclear reactors, not just revamped old ones – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Daily Telegraph
- A liberal market economy offers best way to cut carbon emissions – Mark Littlewood, The Times
- Curbing population explosion should be top of the agenda – Leo McKinstry, Daily Express
- If COP26 fails to bring change then China, Russia and India should be blamed – Leader, The Sun
- Rhetoric must turn into action – Leader, The Guardian
- Is another jamboree really what the planet needs? – Leader, Daily Telegraph
UK and France at loggerheads over fishing rights
“Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron remain at loggerheads in the ongoing dispute over permits for fishing boats. On Sunday, the leaders met to discuss tensions and the UK government said it was “up to France” to step back from threats over port access. But Mr Macron said the ball was “in Britain’s court” and he hoped there would be a positive response on Monday. Mr Macron added it was not a bilateral issue for the nations but an EU issue.” – BBC
- Truss gives Macron 48 hours to back down from threats – Daily Express
- Macron offers Britain an ultimatum – The Times
- Rapprochement Required – Leader, The Times
- Britain and France must work towards a diplomatic solution – Leader, Daily Telegraph
EU warns UK against “path of confrontation”
“Brussels has warned the UK not to “embark on a path of confrontation”, amid tensions over Northern Ireland and post-Brexit fishing rights. Ahead of a crunch week for UK-EU relations, Marcos Sefcovic, a European Commission vice-president, urged Lord Frost, his British counterpart, to back down and reconsider the EU’s proposals to reduce checks on British goods entering Northern Ireland under the protocol. Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Sefcovic said: “I am increasingly concerned that the UK Government will refuse to engage with this and embark on a path of confrontation.” Mr Sefcovic’s intervention comes after Boris Johnson accused France on Sunday of breaking the “spirit and letter” of the UK’s Brexit settlement with the EU, as the cross-Channel spat over fishing grew increasingly bitter.” – Daily Telegraph
- We must now give Northern Ireland the stability it deserves – Maros Sefcovic, Daily Telegraph
- Row with EU escalates – BBC
- EU to blame for Northern Ireland trouble, says Frost – The Times
Call to toughen rules on Ministerial conduct
“The rules governing the conduct of ministers and senior civil servants need to be toughened up, according to a new report. The Committee on Standards in Public Life – which advises the PM on ethical standards – has been carrying out a review into processes in Westminster. It concluded transparency around lobbying was “poor” and the current guidance relied too much on convention. The watchdog has recommended to Boris Johnson that rules be strengthened. A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said the government would “carefully consider” the report.” – BBC
- Rules may target pensions of ex-ministers and officials – Financial Times
Truss challenges China over “genocide”
“Liz Truss has privately accused China of committing genocide in a marked change from her predecessor as foreign secretary, The Times has been told. Dominic Raab stopped short of describing China’s persecution of the Uighur Muslims as genocide when he was foreign secretary, insisting the international community had to be “careful” before making such claims. Truss is seen as more hawkish on China than both Raab and Boris Johnson and let her views be known in a meeting with Caroline Wilson, the UK ambassador to China.” – The Times
Tory MPs rally in support of Paterson
“Tories are threatening mutiny to stop the sleaze watchdog kicking MP Owen Paterson out of Parliament for 30 days. Allies of the ex-Cabinet minister are fighting for his career after standards czar Kathryn Stone found he inappropriately lobbied for two companies. She ordered him to be barred from the Commons for 30 sitting days, which could trigger a by-election in his North Shropshire seat. In the latest twist, his allies are drumming up support among Tory MPs to vote down the watchdog’s findings in the Commons on Wednesday.” – The Sun
- Paterson’s rights to a fair and proper process must be upheld – Philip Barden, Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: Paterson. A contestable verdict, an unfair sentence – and skewed punishment. MPs should heed his appeal.
Badenoch backs professor forced out over “transphobia”
“A senior government minister said that she was “appalled” at the treatment of Professor Kathleen Stock, who is leaving her post amid transphobia claims. Stock, a professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, said last week she was going after “an absolutely horrible time” and “a difficult few years”. Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, said she felt Stock’s views on gender identity, including that people cannot change their biological sex, were probably “in step with the majority of the population.” – The Times
Peers to seek to reinstate pensions “triple lock”
“Peers will this week launch a final last-ditch attempt to stop the Government suspending the state pension Triple Lock mechanism. Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann is to table an amendment to social security legislation aiming to reinstate the commitment to increase state pension payments in line with average earnings. Her move follows widespread anger at Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to suspend the pledge for a year to save £5billion a year.” – Daily Express
Self-harm “revered on social media”, warns MP’s daughter
“Self-harm is revered on social media, says an MP’s daughter whose experiences have inspired his fight to crack down on tech giants. In an article for The Telegraph, Claudia Collins, 14, said self-harm content was still “as dominant as ever” on social media four years after Molly Russell, also 14, took her life after being targeted with self-harm and suicide content on Instagram. Ms Collins, daughter of Damian Collins, the chairman of the committee helping draft new duty of care laws, said: “Self-harm is not just prominent on social media, it is revered. Molly’s death reflects an online world fuelling an epidemic.” – Daily Telegraph
- Social media will fuel the genocide of my generation – Claudia Collins, Daily Telegraph
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democrats secure General Election victory
“Fumio Kishida secured a bigger-than-expected victory for the Liberal Democrats in Japan’s general election despite a nationwide weariness against the ruling party’s near-decade-long grip on power. The LDP retained majority control of the Diet’s lower house, sparing the new prime minister a humiliation that would have jeopardised his leadership. Markets in Japan rose on Monday, with the Topix climbing as much as 1.8 per cent in morning trading, as investors welcomed greater prospects for a stable government.” – Financial Times
News in brief
- The battle for the soul of the National Trust – Harry Mount, Spectator
- How lockdowns betrayed the elderly – Tessa Dunlop, Unherd
- The SNP needs to stop blaming everyone but itself – Chris Deerin, New Statesman
- Johnson’s clown routine could actually persuade world leaders to act on the climate crisis – John Rentoul, Independent
- Macron’s blockade is fishy – Daniel Johnson, The Article