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Rishi Sunak Has a Boris Johnson Problem


LONDON – When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels to the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el Sheikh next Monday, he will share the spotlight with his former boss and arch-enemy, Boris Johnson , who plans to attend the United Nations climate change conference. there as a private citizen.

That didn’t happen. Mr Sunak first said he would skip the meeting to stay in London to oversee a new fiscal plan to be rolled out on November 17, but after Mr Johnson announced his intention to go, the new prime minister reversed course and said he was going to travel. to Egypt after all.

The two men will move in different trajectories: Mr. Sunak flies in for a day to meet other world leaders; Mr Johnson gives interviews and makes rounds as a celebrity in attendance.

It is, however, a foreshadowing of the kind of disturbance Mr Johnson could continue to cause in Mr Sunak’s political weather system: appearing out of the blue, attracting attention, disrupting his plans. successor and as a reminder of a time when British politics were dominated by nefarious Downing Street parties rather than a stinging cost of living crisis.

Gavin Barwell, who was Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief of staff, said: “Even if he doesn’t mean it in vain, it’s worth it whenever he says anything different from policy. government. “From reports of his recent meeting with the MP, he intends to defend what he considers a key element of his legacy.”

This situation is not unique to Mr. Sunak. Mr Barwell dealt with Mr Johnson’s odd personality when he worked as Mrs May’s foreign secretary. He predicted that Mr Johnson would haunt Mr Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss, just as the specter of Banquo tormented Shakespeare’s Macbeth – a prediction that didn’t come true, if only because Ms. Truss served a mere 50 years. day.

When Mr Sunak replaced her late last month, he praised Mr Johnson for his “warm and generous spirit”. But their relationship is falling apart. It was Mr. Sunak’s resignation as Mr Johnson’s Exchequer headmaster last July that put his boss down. And when Mr Sunak announced his candidacy for Conservative Party leader following Ms Truss’ resignation, Mr Johnson himself was quick to threaten to derail Mr Sunak by running for office himself.

Last week, Mr Johnson rallied Conservative lawmakers to thank them for their support of that repeal effort, according to Politico. While telling them he would support Mr Sunak, he also said he would defend what he considers his legacy achievement: Brexit, the party’s 2019 election victory and the backing of UK for Ukraine.

There is no evidence that Mr. Sunak plans to dismantle any of them. He made his first call as leader to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, pledging Britain’s “steadfast support” in the fight against Russia. He has reappointed the defense secretary, Ben Wallace, who has spearheaded that support, although Mr Wallace has backed Mr Johnson in his endeavor.

Mr. Sunak also kept Ms. Truss’s foreign affairs secret, James Cleverly, another Mr. Johnson supporter who, like Mr. Wallace, is a familiar figure to the Biden administration – in this case, as Mr. Cleverly’s episode. focus on the United States. The United States was in the past a minister in the Department of State.

According to a senior administration official, the White House was reassured by these personnel decisions, because they provided continuity in the transatlantic relationship despite political upheaval in London. Top British foreign policy officials have served three prime ministers in the past, as opposed to other cabinet posts, such as prime minister, which are a revolving door.

Mr Wallace, a former British Army officer, is a conspicuous symbol of Mr Johnson’s Ukrainian legacy. Recently, he has been involved in sensitive discussions at the Pentagon, including reports that Russia is considering the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. At home, he has actively lobbied for Britain to increase military spending, despite an estimated £40 billion ($44 billion) fiscal loss that Mr Sunak has warned will require the government to cut spending. .

Mr Sunak has categorically rejected Ms Truss’ pledge to increase military spending to 3 per cent of Britain’s gross domestic product by 2028 – up from slightly more than 2 per cent now. Mr. Wallace, testifying before a congressional committee on Wednesday, acknowledged that the goal had become “aspirational.”

Mr Wallace said: “I will fight little by little to see what I can achieve, although he denies reports that he has threatened to resign if the government does not meet the 3% target. On Thursday, Mr Wallace met the incumbent prime minister, Jeremy Hunt, to make a case on his department’s budget.

Budget pressures in Europe and the United States are likely to come when providing military support to Ukraine in the coming months. But there is no indication that Britain plans to scale back its supply of weapons or other assistance to Ukraine, according to a senior administration official – a message Mr. Sunak conveyed when President Biden called to congratulate him. happy last week.

Mr Johnson’s legacy on the climate is as remarkable, if not as remarkable, as his support for Ukraine. He hosted the last meeting of the United Nations, in Glasgow, where an agreement was reached urging wealthy nations to fund “at least double” by 2025 to protect vulnerable nations. most vulnerable to a hotter planet. But it doesn’t address how much and how quickly each country should cut its emissions over the next decade.

Mr Sunak, although a supporter of England’s failure to score a goal, has sent other signals that he is less than enthusiastic about the issue. He demoted Alok Sharma, Mr Johnson’s chief climate negotiator, from the cabinet. Mr Sharma has won praise for running the meeting in Glasgow, known as COP26.

“There is no lasting prosperity without action on climate change,” Mr. Sunak said on Twitter, announcing his change of mind about attending the conference. “That’s why I’ll be attending Cop27 next week: to convey Glasgow’s legacy of building a safe and sustainable future.”

(Among the sessions that Mr. Johnson will participate in at the conference is an interview with The New York Times on the sidelines of its event. Mr. Sunak has also been invited, but has not yet responded.)

His reversal of attendance at the conference drew praise from various departments, including Mr Johnson’s father Stanley Johnson, a former member of the European Parliament who has long been a former member of the European Parliament. active in environmental issues. Mr Johnson, speaking to the Foreign Press Association on Thursday, added: “I am very happy that Boris will be attending the COP. Everyone is happy about that.”

Not everyone: Some climate experts say Mr Johnson’s decision has put the prime minister in an unfavorable position.

“It doesn’t help because it highlights the political mistake Rishi Sunak made,” said Tom Burke, president of E3G, an environmental research institute. “Deciding not to go and announcing that he was not going was a mistake. This only draws attention to the UK’s lack of global leadership.

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