Keir Starmer joins the Taliban to teach the world about climate change

Keir Starmer insisted Britain can show the way on climate change as he attended the the COP29 summit today – despite most world leaders staying away. The PM is one of the only premiers from the wealthiest nations in Azerbaijan for the annual gathering, although the Taliban has sent a representative.

Sir Keir is laying out a target for the UK to slash 81 per cent off carbon emissions by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. But he insisted this morning that he will not tell Brits how to ‘live their lives’ in order to reach the goal.

Outgoing US president Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and India’s Narendra Modi are not going to Baku. Senior figures from the EU and China are also expected to be absent from what is feared will be yet another talking shop that achieves little or nothing in the way of concrete action.

French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are all staying at home. The only other G7 leader taking part in the summit is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. One surprise attendee is the Taliban, which has found time to join the event.

Matiul Haq Khalis (pictured), the head of Afghanistan’s Environmental Protection Agency, spoke to the media about the impact of climate change on the country. Downing Street said Sir Keir had no plans to meet the delegation.

Countries will also be grappling with Donald Trump’s return to the White House , in what analysts say is a trend of climate scepticism in elections this year. The next President of the US, the world’s second biggest polluter, is expected to boost fossil fuels, roll back green incentives domestically and take America out – again – of the global Paris Agreement on tackling climate change, which commits countries to pursue efforts to curb warming to 1.5C.

Sir Keir was asked this morning if he was prepared to push people to switch heating systems, take fewer flights and eat less meat to reach the 2035 target – which was recommended by the government’s Climate Change Committee.

‘I’ll set out our goal later on today, but look, it will be ambitious, and that’s measured not by telling people what to do,’ the PM told broadcasters in Baku. ‘It’s measured by making sure that we get to clean power by 2030 – that’s the single most important target on the way to the emissions. And that will bring with it lower bills for people, for their energy it’ll give them independence, so that tyrants like (Vladimir) Putin can’t put his boot on our throat, causing all sorts of difficulties for our energy bills.’

He added: ‘I accept it’s a difficult target. It’s an achievable target. But it’s not about telling people how to live their lives. I’m not interested in that. I am interested in making sure that their energy bills are stable, that we’ve got energy independence, and that we also, along the way, pick up the next generation of jobs.’ The choice of Azerbaijan to host the talks has come under criticism over its human rights record, with failings including the persecution of political opponents and detainment of activists.

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