Members of Britain's delegation to the gathering in Egypt have acknowledged that they must take a back seat now that the UK is not the official host of the event
During a meeting of G20 climate ministers earlier this year, some attendees started rowing back on environmental pledges they had already made.
Representatives of the UK Government interpreted the move as a sign that, with international agreements unlikely to be struck this year as a result of global divisions over Russia, other countries feel more able to signal to domestic audiences without having to reach a common position in the end. Mr Sunak, Mr Sharma and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly are all expected to fly to Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday – though the Prime Minister will return to the UK the same day.and Grant Shapps, the Business Secretary, will also attend the summit – along with Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Sharma has attracted headlines by attacking Government policy in recent days, but allies insist he is only being honest about his views now that he is no longer in the Cabinet. A source said: “When he is not a member of the Government and he is asked what he thinks about fracking, he is going to say what he really thinks.” He is expected to return to the back benches once his tenure as COP President ends at the conclusion of the Sharm summit.
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