Alok Sharma 'struggles to devote enough time' to COP26, the UK's biggest summit ever

CLIMATE EXPERTS and MPs have sought political and diplomatic support for business secretary Alok Sharma as he 'struggles to devote enough time' to COP26, the UK's biggest summit ever.

Richard Black, director of the energy & climate Intelligence Unit, told the BBC that though Sharma has an 'understanding of the developing world' as a former international development secretary, he 'lacks time'.

"I wonder how he will find the bandwidth next year to fully engage with the climate process alongside helping businesses through Covid and Brexit," he said.

Sharma was appointed president of next year's COP26 summit, an International UN climate conference, in February, after the sacking of former climate minister Claire O'Neill.

Originally scheduled for November 2020 in Glasgow, COP26 was delayed by a year due to Covid. It is the most significant climate event since Paris in 2015.

Former foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Commons defence committee, said that the UK should look at someone with similar 'gravitas' as John Kerry to head the post, if Sharma is replaced.

His suggestions are former prime minister David Cameron and ex-foreign secretary William Hague.

The US President-elect Joe Biden had appointed former presidential nominee Kerry as his climate change envoy.

A government spokesperson said that Sharma had been engaging with over 40 countries ahead of the event.

Amber Rudd, former energy secretary, told the BBC that COP should be run out of the foreign office and called on the UK government to boost its diplomatic efforts.

He opined that it will be difficult for Sharma to do his cabinet job and  devote time for the conference.

Nick Mabey, the chief executive of climate change think tank E3G, and an unpaid advisor to the UK government on COP26, also opined that Sharma is overloaded with his day job.

However, he said it will be absurd to replace Sharma at this time.

The Conservative chair of the environmental audit committee, Philip Dunne, has said that the president of COP should be a full time role.

Labour's Barry Gardiner, a former shadow minister for international climate change, has called for the replacement of Sharma as the president of COP26 summit.