Rishi Sunak returning to UK after whirlwind trip to COP28
Rounding off a rapid day of climate diplomacy, Rishi Sunak looked somewhat bleary-eyed as he took to the podium for a final press conference before leaving COP28.
That’s hardly surprising.
When he arrives back in London, he’ll have spent more time on his plane than he did at the summit.
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That’s not to say the prime minister didn’t pack a lot in – attending meetings with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Israel.
There was also a brief conversation with President Kagame of Rwanda – the UK’s partner in a controversial and as yet non-functioning asylum scheme – a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and perhaps more surprisingly, a short chat with Tony Blair.
That conversation with one of his predecessors in Downing Street focused on the Middle East, and a look at the detail of other meetings saw a heavy focus on the Israel-Hamas conflict as well.
In his press conference, Mr Sunak also seemed to harden his language on the question of a more sustained truce and even suggested the UK could help get aid into the Strip by sea.
But despite the short nature of the trip and presence of other global topics, the prime minister insisted his ambition for tackling climate change remained high.
It’s this question of commitment that’s followed him around Dubai though.
Put simply, how can a leader credibly call for other countries to do more when changes he’s made mean the UK is arguably doing less?
Mr Sunak’s answer is essentially that we are still pulling our weight compared to other nations.
When asked by Sky News if anyone had raised the recent policy changes with him, the prime minister was explicit – “hand on heart, no”.
He said the fact that hadn’t registered on the global stage was proof the debate around climate policies had become “polarised by the extremes” in the UK.
Mr Sunak’s former cabinet colleague and the Glasgow COP26 President Sir Alok Sharma has concerns, as do Theresa May and Lord Zac Goldsmith.
The change in policy also opens up another potential crack for Labour to attack the government on, with accusations of flip-flopping and kowtowing to his backbenchers.
So right on cue, Sir Keir Starmer flew to COP28 as well, attempting to play prime minister in waiting and telling reporters he’s had more requests for meetings than he can possibly accommodate in two days.
The aim for the Labour leader was to forge links and show the global community that a future government led by him would be an active and strong presence on the international stage.
He has his own points of tension on the green agenda though.
After stories that Labour’s pledge to spend £28bn a year on green technology could struggle to be reached, Sir Keir clarified his position to reporters in Dubai, saying he would “ramp up to £28bn a year in the second half of an incoming parliament” before adding “obviously that will be subject to fiscal rules”.
That caveat is important, as if dire forecasts for the economy materialise, that will leave a future Labour government less room to borrow the money to make these big green investments.
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Not for the first time Sir Keir is faced with the difficulty of reconciling economic prudence with change-making ambition.
On their flights back to the UK both party leaders may be mulling over how global issues can quickly and easily take on dangerous domestic dimensions.