Sunak defends decision to delay petrol and diesel ban as criticism grows

Rishi Sunak has been accused of "shrinking and retreating" from global leadership as he used the Cop28 summit to warn that "climate politics is at breaking point" because of the costs of net zero.

- Aletha Adu  , Rowena Mason

While many other world leaders, including King Charles, spoke of the urgency of action on the climate, the prime minister used his brief appearance at the summit in Dubai to promote his approach to slowing the pace of net zero policies and reducing pressure on family finances.

The prime minister said that "not a single person" among world leaders at the summit challenged him over the delay to banning petrol cars, after he switched to what he called a more "pragmatic" approach to net zero targets several months ago. He said Britain was a leader on the climate and it was time for others to do more, saying other countries were "grateful" to the UK for what it had done so far.

Sunak's tone at the summit attracted criticism from charities, who accused him of "misreading the room", while some Tory politicians warned he risked the UK's leadership on the issue.

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said Sunak's words showed the "smallness" of the prime minister's politics was affecting his ability to show a "seriousness and a want to lead" on the issue.

The prime minister's messaging also stood in stark contrast to that of King Charles, who gave the keynote speech. Noting that this was the hottest year on record, the king spoke of his worry that the pace of action was not quick enough, and told the summit: "Records are now being broken so often that we are perhaps becoming immune to what they are really telling us."