Rishi Sunak is right to go to Egypt, but Cop27 must be more than an empty show

Editorial: The prime minister’s attendance at the climate talks is of more than merely symbolic importance

If Sunak can convince other world leaders that he is serious about working on the practical solutions to the climate emergency, his trip to Egypt may be even more valuable (Getty)

As we said when Rishi Sunak decided he had more important things to do than attend the climate summit in Egypt, our new prime minister is “a hard worker and a fast learner”.

He has worked hard on his homework for the autumn statement – so hard that he has created some space in his diary – and he has learned. He will now be going to Sharm el-Sheikh after all.

His original decision was a mistake. We can see how a new prime minister, acutely aware of the value of their time, might rashly conclude that it would be a poor use of that valuable resource to spend it flying to Egypt in order to be seen at the largely symbolic part of an international conference.