UK PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak begins his first full week in 10 Downing St facing questions about his decision to bring Suella Braverman back as Home Secretary and calls for a U-turn over a climate summit snub.
Sunak is considering reversing his decision not to attend the United Nations climate conference in Egypt next week, with environment minister Mark Spencer saying the PM would go “if his diary allows”.
While Sunak is focusing on domestic issues, including preparations for the 17 November autumn statement, he also faces political challenges including the backlash over the reappointment of Braverman.
The Government’s climate tsar Alok Sharma said he was “disappointed” by the decision not to attend the Cop27 summit, while Tory former chancellor George Osborne asked why Sunak would “trash” the party’s record on the environment.
With US President Joe Biden expected to attend, and reports suggesting Sunak’s arch-rival Boris Johnson could go to the summit, the Prime Minister is weighing up whether to go.
Spencer said the possibility of Johnson going was not a “consideration” for the Prime Minister.
“I think, actually, he’ll be looking at how much he’s got in his inbox,” he told LBC.
“But I think the fact that Boris is thinking of going is a demonstration of how seriously the Conservative Party and the Conservative Government takes these things.”
Spencer told Sky News he would like to see the Prime Minister go to Cop27 “if he’s got time” but “he’ll make that call and I’m sure it’ll be the right one”.
Suella Braverman
Meanwhile, the way Tory ministers have handled sensitive information remained in the spotlight.
Braverman was forced to quit as Home Secretary under Liz Truss after she emailed a potentially market-sensitive draft written ministerial statement to veteran backbench Tory Sir John Hayes, a fellow right-winger, from a personal email account.
My letter to the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/TaWO1PMOF2
— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) October 19, 2022
But less than a week later she was back in the role in Sunak’s first Cabinet.
In another information security issue, it emerged in the Mail on Sunday that Truss’ personal mobile phone was hacked by Russian agents while she was foreign secretary.
Spencer said Truss “clearly was hacked” but suggested all ministers used personal phones even if there was “some little man in China” listening in.
“We all talk on personal phones, don’t we, you know? I ring my wife, maybe there’s some little man in China listening to the conversations between me and my wife.
“But, you know, you’ve just got to be careful about what information you use on which phone and you get a lot of help and support from the security services on that.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say