The Guardian: UK minister departs Cop28 as climate talks reach crisis point
UK minister departs Cop28 as climate talks reach crisis point
Graham Stuarts surprise exit leaves civil servants in Dubai to finish negotiations in his absence
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Fiona Harvey and Patrick Greenfield in Dubai, and Helena Horton
Tue 12 Dec 2023 07.06 EST
The UK minister in charge of
Cop28 climate talks has returned to London, the Guardian has learned, leaving civil servants to finish the fraught negotiations in his absence.
Graham Stuart, the minister of state for climate change, left Dubai on Tuesday morning to return to his duties as an MP, the government confirmed, even as the summit reached
crisis point.
A government spokesperson told the Guardian: Minister Stuart has returned to the UK to attend parliament in his role as an MP. There will continue to be full official representation on the ground at the summit and Minister Stuart will continue to be the lead UK minister for negotiations with any final decisions agreed with him.
The spokesperson would not confirm whether Stuart had returned to take part in the vote on Rishi Sunaks controversial policy on Rwanda.