Boris Johnson admitted he ‘doesn’t really get’ climate emergency, reveals sacked adviser

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The climate change envoy sacked by Boris Johnson has revealed the prime minister admitted he “doesn’t really get” the emergency the world faces, in a scathing attack. The prime minister has also explored moving the crucial COP26 Glasgow summit in November to England because of “ballooning costs” and rows with the Scottish government, Claire Perry O’Neill said. Lifting the lid on the apparent chaos, Ms Perry O’Neill said: “He has admitted to me he doesn’t really understand it – he doesn’t really get it, I think is what he said.” She warned the summit was being undermined by “playground politics” and was “hundreds of millions of pounds off track”, with just nine months to go. In a letter to Mr Johnson, obtained by The Financial Times, Ms Perry O’Neill told him: “You promised to ‘lead from the front’ and asked me what was needed: ‘money, people, just tell us!’ Sadly these promises are not close to being met.” She added: “This isn’t a pretty place to be and we owe the world a lot better.” In his speech, the prime minister will pledge an earlier ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles – in 2035 rather than 2040 – as a measure to help achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.