Climate change: Boris Johnson's attempt to sideline Nicola Sturgeon from Cop26 summit in Glasgow shows he's not serious about global warming – Angus Robertson MSP

With the scale of the climate emergency threatening the entire world, you would have thought that the UK government would want to do everything in its power to work together with others for the success of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow. Apparently and sadly not.

Boris Johnson and broadcaster and conservationist David Attenborough at the launch of the United Nations' Climate Change conference, Cop26, in London in February last year (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn/pool/AFP via Getty Images)

It appears that minimising the role of Nicola Sturgeon in the UN summit is more important to Boris Johnson than having a unified front.

Leaked UK government messages in the Independent newspaper make clear the scale of the efforts that are being pursued to sideline the First Minister at an event being held in her very own country.

Nicola Sturgeon has tried to force the Prime Minister to refocus his efforts on actually combating climate change rather than political rivalry, tweeting: “All that matters is that Cop26 delivers an outcome to meet the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. We must work together and maximise contributions towards that. Anyone – me or PM – who allowed politics to get in way would be abdicating that responsibility.”

If ever there was a time for grown-up politics it is now. By concentrating on petty political considerations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is actually undermining the Cop26 environmental summit by turning it into a political football.

Now is the time for all decision-makers to work together and be seen to work together. Future generations will not look back kindly at politicians who put party interest ahead of public good.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary

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