Climate minister makes 7,000-mile round trip from Cop28 for Rwanda vote

The Government’s climate minister has been flown back from final negotiations at the Cop28 environment conference in Dubai to vote for the Rwanda bill, it has emerged.

Graham Stuart had been attending the last stages of the climate summit before he was called back to Parliament as Downing Street scrambles to see off a Tory rebellion over legislation.

Mr Stuart will be sent back to Cop28 after the vote, meaning he is making a 6,800-mile round trip to help Rishi Sunak pass his new emergency bill.

Hauling back a climate minister from an environmental summit via two long-distance flights reflected how every vote was deemed to matter by Number 10.

The vote on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which toughens up the legal protections for the Rwanda deportation, takes place on Tuesday evening.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, joked about Mr Stuart’s return: “I guess they can say at least one flight has taken off as a result of this legislation.”

MPs on the Commons International Development Committee also had a trip to the Caribbean cancelled because of the crunch vote.

The MPs had been due to visit Barbados and Dominica to explore the effects of climate change on the islands. The BBC reported some MPs were already on their way to the airport when the trip was cancelled.

Conservative critics on the right of the party have been debating whether to vote against the bill or to abstain, with a view to forcing changes to the legislation at a later stage.

If there is a defeat it will be the first time legislation has been voted down at a second reading since 14 April 1986, when Margaret Thatcher’s Sunday trading reforms were blocked.

The Cop28 UN climate change conference is reaching its final stages, with countries locked in negotiations about the final text for the gathering’s agreements.

Number 10 confirmed Mr Stuart is returning to attend Parliament, adding: “Ministers have a number of roles, the negotiations continue and he will return to Cop.”

Asked about the carbon emissions from the flights, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This Government is not anti-flying.

“We don’t lecture the public to that regard. The most important thing is the outcomes of Cop, which minister Stuart is obviously leading for the UK on.”

Francesca Rhodes, senior climate and gender policy adviser for CARE International UK, said: “If the reports are accurate, it is staggering that the UK Government has no ministers attending the final critical days of Cop28.

“These negotiations will decide the fate of millions of people facing floods, fires and famine due to the climate crisis.

“The UK has played a productive role in the talks so far but leaving early is simply shameful. Time and again, wealthy countries have let down low-income countries.

“The latest text was deeply disappointing and does not keep 1.5C alive. When the UK should be standing up for marginalised communities, including women and girls, Rishi Sunak’s Government has gone awol.”

Labour’s Kerry McCarthy said in the Commons on Tuesday that Mr Stuart should explain to everyone why he has left Dubai, saying he will not be able to approve any decisions made by the UK team while on a plane.

Andrew Mitchell, speaking on behalf of the Government, replied: “A Government, as she will know, is seamless, and while the minister for climate change is anxious to support the Government in the important legislation tonight, my noble friend Lord Benyon – one of the UK’s greatest experts on climate change – is in Dubai today at the Cop to ensure that a senior minister is representing Britain in these vital negotiations.”

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