Labour is furious – absolutely incandescent –over Rishi Sunak’s announcement that he’s not going to next month’s COP27 summit in Egypt during his second week in office, and while getting to grips with a financial crisis.

Having the PM fly to Sharm El-Sheikh, a flight that would emit 3.35 tonnes of carbon, is clearly the only thing standing between Britain and environmental armageddon. On Sky News yesterday afternoon, Miliband said Rishi not going is “abdicating leadership” and a “big mistake”.

Reminder that when we hosted it last year, and Boris did go, it resulted in Alok Sharma crying on stage as pro-emission countries blocked the environmental proposals Britain was pushing for…

The shadow minister’s attack is particularly eyebrow-raising given that in 2008 Gordon Brown didn’t attend COP14, instead sending one Ed Miliband to stand in for him. That was certainly “abdicating leadership”…

In fact, Guido’s analysis of whether PMs attended the climate summits shows that Tony Blair didn’t attend a single one. Gordon Brown attended once in 2009, David Cameron attended in 2015 and Boris Johnson attended in 2021. Labour PMs have skipped 12 out of 13 summits – 2:1 to the Tories…

• 2021 COP26 – Boris Johnson, Prime Minister 
• 2019 COP25 – Lord Ian Duncan, BEIS Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Climate Change
• 2018 COP24 – Claire Perry, BEIS Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth
• 2017 COP23 –  Thérèse Coffey, DEFRA Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment
• 2016 COP22 – Nicholas Hurd, BEIS Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry
• 2015 COP21 – David Cameron, Prime Minister 
• 2014 COP20 – Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 2013 COP19 – Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 2012 COP18 – Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 2011 COP17 – Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 2010 COP16 – Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 2009 COP15 – Gordon Brown, Prime Minister 
• 2008 COP14 – Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
• 2007 COP13 – Hilary Benn, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2006 COP12 – David Miliband, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2005 COP11 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2004 COP10 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2003 COP9 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2002 COP8 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2001 COP7 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 2000 COP6 – Margaret Beckett, DEFRA Secretary of State
• 1999 COP5 – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister
• 1998 COP4 – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister
• 1997 COP3 – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister
• 1996 COP2 – John Gummer, Environment Secretary
• 1995 COP1 – UK did not attend

Guido reckons Zoom will be perfectly adequate for the UK to get its point across this time around…