Prime minister U-turns on attending climate conference in Egypt following criticism of decision not to go
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he will attend the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt next week.
This is not unexpected – there have been hints from No 10 over recent days that he would attend – but it still counts as U-turn. Last week Downing Street said that he would not be going because he had “other pressing domestic commitments”.
We’re going back to our 2019 manifesto, looking at the commitments we made. We have got a commitment to make sure we can get high-speed trains to Leeds.
What we’re doing in my department, and what I’ve been briefed on, is we’re looking at all of the options that are available to do that.
I’ve looked very carefully at the concerns that people have got, at the very comprehensive report the transport select committee did.
You will know my predecessor but one paused rolling out any new smart motorways until the department gather evidence over a significant period of time about their operation, about their safety record, so that we could then make some decisions in the light of all of that evidence, and that position remains the case.
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