London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 24, 2026

Boris Johnson’s plea for climate commitments at COP26 provokes ire of Twittersphere

Boris Johnson’s plea for climate commitments at COP26 provokes ire of Twittersphere

The British prime minister’s climate change message ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow does not appear to be resonating with everyone, as some Britons accuse the PM of hypocrisy.

Throughout the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated the need for the global community to do more on climate change. His plea reached a crescendo on Sunday evening as he claimed G20 commitments to climate change were “not enough” and that promises were “starting to sound hollow.”

In remarks unusually devoid of his trademark puns, jokes, or bonhomie, Johnson told the global press that “there are no compelling excuses for our procrastination,” claiming that if the world does not act now, the Paris agreement will be seen as the moment humanity “flinched and turned away” from the problem of climate change.

“Not only have we acknowledged the problem, we have already seen first-hand the devastation that climate change causes – heatwaves and droughts to wildfires and hurricanes,” the prime minister stated.

Johnson doubled down on his critical remarks in a tweet on Monday morning: “History will judge us on what we achieve over the next two weeks. We cannot let future generations down.”

But while the climate crisis might be the top of the agenda for politicians and many others around the world, it appears that many on the Twittersphere aren’t buying Johnson’s hard-sell on global warming.

Some suggested Johnson and his fellow international leaders were hypocritical as they fly across the world in private planes emitting tonnes of CO2. “Climate is such an emergency you all have to jet in to discuss it,” one Twitter user wrote.

One person highlighted that the COP26 summit could have gone ahead with zero emissions if they had used video-conferencing software.

Others noted that Johnson actually flew from London to Cornwall for the G7 summit in the summer, questioning whether the prime minister is actually committed to climate change or whether it’s just more bluster.

Another shared a GIF suggesting that the level of hypocrisy was off the scale.


Despite the PM’s remarks and tweet being well liked and shared, there were few people willing to argue for him within the torrent of criticism that flooded the comments section.

At the COP26 summit, which officially started on Sunday, 200 nations are being asked to put forward their plans to cut carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, signed in December 2015.

The pledges are part of a global agenda to keep global warming less than 2C above pre-industrial levels in order to avoid a climate catastrophe; reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is deemed to be a major part of this.

Speaking in the Colosseum on Saturday, Johnson highlighted that civilization can over-extend itself, and the decline of the Roman Empire was the prime empire of how humanity can go backwards as well as forwards. “We can fix it, but the lesson of history is that things can go badly wrong and stay wrong for a long time,” the PM continued.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Royal Navy Commandos Complete Maritime Operations Training With US Navy SEALs
Vistry Profit Warning Adds to Concerns Over UK Housebuilding Conditions
UK Commits £343 Million to Major Expansion of Community Mental Health Services
Five Eyes Partners Back UK-Led Campaign Against Global Fraud Networks
UK Businesses Gain Full Access to £13 Trillion CPTPP Trading Bloc
UK Allocates Nearly £10 Billion for Council, Social and Affordable Housing
Chancellor John Healey Unveils Deregulation Drive to Accelerate UK Investment and Growth
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Post-Brexit Foreign Policy Vision at United Nations
UK Reassesses Chagos Arrangements as Burnham Seeks New Path on Diego Garcia
Key Trends to Watch
Government’s “Buy British” Procurement Push Targets More Domestic Jobs and Industrial Capacity
Scotland Launches Four-Year Flood Resilience Programme With New Community Funding
Low-Income Renters Face Record Gap Between Housing Support and Private Rents
UK and US Test Torpedo Launch From British Undersea Drone in Defence Technology Milestone
Britain Pushes Artificial Intelligence Security Onto United Nations Security Council Agenda
Treasury Committee Defends Office for Budget Responsibility Independence Amid Fiscal Pressure
Scotland Records Eleven Per Cent Rise in Drug-Use Deaths as Cocaine and Nitazenes Drive Concern
Welsh Government Sets Four-Year Programme Around Health, Living Costs, Jobs and Housing
Study Finds Most People With High Blood Pressure in England Remain Undiagnosed
Britain Plans First National Workplace Health System to Tackle Economic Inactivity
England to Introduce Vocational GCSEs in Major Secondary Education Reform
UK Elevates Climate and Nature Risks to National Security Priority
Andy Burnham and Donald Trump Put Trade at Centre of First Major Bilateral Meeting
Andy Burnham and Ursula von der Leyen Push Ahead With Closer UK-European Union Economic Ties
UK Government Borrowing Jumps to Eighteen Point Three Billion Pounds Ahead of October Budget
Piddington Residents Back Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Reform UK Names Helen Jenner as New Leader in Wales
England Expands Devolution of Transport, Skills and Economic Development Powers
Liberal Democrats Call for Temporary Fuel Duty Cut to Ease Cost-of-Living Pressure
UK Farmers Warn Drought Has Caused Crop Failures and Reduced Harvests
UK Fixed Mortgage Rates Approach 6% as Lenders Raise Borrowing Costs
YouGov Poll Puts Labour at 23% With Conservatives and Reform UK on 21%
Badenoch Presses Burnham to Increase Defence Spending and Cut Welfare Costs
UK Military Figures Warn of Growing Threats to Undersea Infrastructure and National Readiness
BP Moves Ahead With Sale of UK North Sea Oil and Gas Business
UK and ASEAN Endorse New Framework for Trade and Economic Cooperation
UK Consumer Confidence Falls to Three-Year Low as Borrowing Costs and Job Concerns Rise
UK Inflation Rises to 3.1% as Motor Fuel Costs Push Prices Higher
Bank of England Sets Multi-Year Plan to Wind Down Quantitative Easing Holdings
UK Borrowing Rises to £18.3 Billion in August Ahead of October Budget
Michelin Guide Faces Industry Questions Over Restaurant Inspection Coverage
English Woodlands Face Renewed Weather Stress From Dry Conditions and Strong Winds
Research Finds Extensive Alcohol, Gambling and Unhealthy Food Branding During 2026 World Cup
Five Charged After Newborn Baby Dies From Stab Wounds in Sheffield
BT Could Reap £2 Billion From Recycling Copper as Full-Fibre Network Expands
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
Reform UK Names Helen Jenner as New Leader in Wales After Dan Thomas Steps Down
Resolution Foundation Calls for Broad-Based Tax Rises to Fund Higher UK Defence Spending
Ed Davey Calls for Global Treaty to Halt Development of Super-Intelligent AI
Scotland Consults on Legal Price Caps for Essential Foods
×