A date has been fixed but the venue has yet to be sorted out.
The shambolic state of preparations was laid bare following former energy minister Claire Perry O’Neill’s sacking as summit president. In a letter to Boris Johnson, she vented her frustration about the lack of focus and resources devoted so far to what will be the biggest ever inter-governmental conference hosted by the UK.
Perry O’Neill is committed to tackling climate change, but may not have been the right person for the job. Previous presidents have tended to be heavy-hitting politicians, such as Laurent Fabius, who oversaw preparations for the Paris 2015 summit while serving as French minister of foreign affairs.
The government has yet to announce who will take over from Perry O’Neill. The task of identifying the right minister to take over will be complicated by the impending reshuffle, already delayed until after Brexit day.
However, one of the key lessons from previous summits is that prime ministerial input will be crucial. Perry O’Neill’s comments that Johnson didn’t really “get” climate change won’t inspire confidence that he will treat the event with the seriousness it merits, particularly when his political priority will be concluding a trade deal with the EU.
The PM gained a reputation in his journalistic career for winging deadlines. But an event as large as COP 26 can’t be busked.