London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

COP26: Biden leaves Scotland hailing summit progress

COP26: Biden leaves Scotland hailing summit progress

US President Joe Biden has left Scotland after a two-day visit for the COP26 climate change summit.

Mr Biden used his final address to hail the progress made at the summit so far but also criticised China and Russia's leaders for not showing up.

The president said the vast majority of world leaders viewed the conference as an opportunity to "press the restart button".

Air Force One left Edinburgh Airport at about 22:00.

Mr Biden used his final news conference in Scotland to criticise the world leaders who had decided against attending COP26.

"We showed up... and by showing up we've had a profound impact on how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and its leadership role," he said.

The president added that the absence of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the summit was a "big mistake".

Mr Biden said he met several world leaders and told them that "the US is going to be their partner as we meet this climate crisis"

Trying to be upbeat, the president said the vast majority of world leaders viewed the conference as an opportunity to "press the restart button".

The US president hailed breakthrough deals on forest preservation and methane emissions that were formally announced during the first two days of COP26.

"I think we got a lot done. We had a lot of substantive meetings," he said.

Mr Biden also paid tribute to the "the passion and the power of the young people and the activists" who he said were in Glasgow "reminding us of our obligation to future generations".

Mr Biden arrived at Edinburgh Airport on Monday morning before heading to the climate change summit in Glasgow.

A fleet of police and Secret Service vehicles, including Mr Biden's armoured car nicknamed "The Beast", travelled along the M8 motorway to the conference venue.

Prince William greeted US President Joe Biden at the leaders' reception in Glasgow's Kelvingrove museum

On Monday evening the US president joined world leaders and members of the Royal Family for a dinner reception at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Mr Biden stayed overnight at the Dalmahoy Hotel near Kirknewton in West Lothian during his stay.

'Large, naked Scottish man'


His trip back to Glasgow on Tuesday morning involved an unusual observer.

According to a White House report one local dropped literally everything to grab a photo of the president.

The report says: "At one point when we were still on smaller country roads, a large, naked Scottish man stood in his front window taking a picture of the motorcade with his phone."


The summit continues on Wednesday with further talks between countries on further actions to tackle climate action.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be in Glasgow at an event marking progress on delivering the finance to deliver action on climate change.

London mayor Sadiq Khan will join Nicola Sturgeon to open a green investment showcase at the summit.

The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.



Watch: President Joe Biden's motorcade leaving Edinburgh hotel


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
UK Met Office Warns of Severe Autumn Storms as Strong El Niño Follows Historic Drought
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
×