HISTORY WILL BE OUR JUDGE

BORIS’S PLEA ON DAY ONE AS CHARLES TELLS LEADERS: GET TO WORK TO SAVE THE PLANET. Frantic 48 hours to reach breakthrough on climate

- Nicholas Cecil and Robert Jobson

BORIS JOHNSON warned world leaders today that “history will judge us” as they were locked in a 48-hour race to salvage a success from the COP26 climate summit.

The Prime Minister issued the urgent rallying call ahead of welcoming more than 120 political leaders to Glasgow. With the prime ministers and presidents of the G20 group of major economies having failed to make a significant breakthrough on global warming at weekend talks in Rome, Mr Johnson tweeted early today: “History will judge us on what we achieve over the next two weeks. We cannot let future generations down.” As he made the appeal:

Joe Biden headed to Scotland this morning from Italy and was set to use “the power of America showing up” for stronger action on global warming, although he faces a battle to get his own plans through Congress. The presidential convoy of dozens of gas-guzzling vehicles, including The Beast in which he travels, has been criticised by environmentalists.

Addressing the COP26 opening ceremony, the Prince of Wales was due to urge world leaders to “find practical ways of overcoming differences so we can all get down to work, together, to rescue this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people”. He was set to add: “We have to put ourselves on what might be called a warlike footing.”