Andy Burnham says climate crisis is 'upon all of us now' and commits UK to 2050 net-zero target

The prime minister has declared the "climate crisis is upon all of us now" and committed the UK to meeting its 2050 net zero target.

Andy Burnham made the announcement during a speech about climate change at the UN's COP31 summit in Turkey, where he pledged a "new era of British leadership over the next decade".

Mr Burnham said: "The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is upon us all now, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere.

"Meanwhile, two wars across two continents have sent fuel prices and gas bills soaring for families and businesses across the world. The common thread running through all of this: our dependence on fossil fuels.

"The message I carry here at my first COP as UK prime minister is this: we're committed to meeting our 2050 net zero target and committed to working with all of our partners to reach theirs."

Mr Burnham also announced the appointment of Dame Madeleine Alessandri, former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, as special representative for climate security.

Her appointment is intended to ensure climate and nature risks are treated as a matter of national security.

Alongside this, Mr Burnham pledged UK support for the Climate Investment Fund's Amplifi initiative, which aims to attract up to £12 in private investment for every £1 of public funding put into clean energy projects.

The prime minister was the first speaker at the conference on Thursday and addressed a half-empty hall with foreign secretary Ed Miliband and Mayor of London Lord Sadiq Khan in the audience.

He is expected to be the only G7 leader to address the summit, after US President Donald Trump declined to send a delegation for the second year in a row.

Sky's science and technology editor Tom Clarke called it "one of the most important speeches by a British prime minister on the climate in a very long time".

He said "the fact that he chose to come and is doing so as the only G7 leader" is "why it's important".

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He went on: "The war in Iran, the fiscal pressures facing many governments especially in Europe, the costs of energy - these are hard times. And most leaders have stayed away. Or if they haven't stayed away, the ones who are here are distracted by all of that noise."

Mr Burnham will fly from Antalya to Dublin for the European Political Community meeting later on Thursday.

He is expected to announce more sanctions against Russia and address threats to European security.

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