An assistant had come on stage, according to Hickman, and whispered in Sunak’s ear “for more than a minute,” which sounded like a discussion about whether he should leave at this time. At first, the UK Prime Minister did not leave the stage, but when another aide approached him to persuade him again, he got up from his chair and left the room. Harry Cole, political editor of The Sun, later shared the video on his Twitter handle and said Downing Street sources told him it was “no big deal”, just a late decision. “Downing Street sources insist it was no big deal but a late decision to meet with Germans and South Africans. Despite the images…,” Cole said. There was no official statement from Downing Street on the video. Read also: The climate and us | COP27: A win for loss and damage, but the fight for justice remains The United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as the Conference of the Parties – or COP27 – opened in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday. In his first international appearance since becoming Prime Minister, Sunak said the war was a reason to act faster on decisions to tackle climate change. “We can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future… There really is room for hope,” he said. Also read: Germany slams Egypt over human rights ahead of cop27 climate summit Sunak called on nations to keep the promises made in the Glasgow Impact Pact and direct public and private funding towards protecting the planet. The UK prime minister is also scheduled to hold several meetings with fellow world leaders to discuss new partnerships on energy security, green technology and other environment-related policies. Subscribe to our best newsletters Subscribe to the newsletter successfully Thank you for subscribing to the Daily News Capsule newsletter.
