Here are some photos of King Charles in Dubai for the COP28 conference. This is the big, annual environmental conference. COP stands for Conference of the Parties of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Last year, the new king was banned from attending COP27, but Prime Minister Sunak okayed Charles’s attendance this year, perhaps because Sunak wanted to go to Dubai as well. As it turns out, David Cameron (who is back in a government position as foreign secretary) also attended. All three men – Cameron, Sunak and the king – took separate private planes to the conference. You cannot make this sh-t up. The only reason Charles isn’t getting hit harder about it is because everyone’s mad at Sunak and Cameron’s private plane usage.

Rishi Sunak is facing fresh outrage from climate campaigners after it emerged that the prime minister, the King, and foreign secretary David Cameron are taking separate jets to the Cop28 conference in Dubai. Downing Street confirmed all three of the leading British representatives at the crucial summit – aimed at cutting global emissions – will each get their own private plane.

No 10 defended the decision to have Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron travel separately – as it was confirmed junior ministers and officials would fly out on commercial flights rather than travel with the PM’s entourage. The prime minister’s official spokesperson claimed that there was nothing wrong with so many flights since the government is “not anti-flying” and is pushing new sustainable fuels. But opposition parties and activists accused Mr Sunak of climate hypocrisy – criticising the use of separate jets as “setting an awful example” and being a “waste of taxpayers’ cash”.

Mr Sunak’s spokesperson said: “We are not anti-flying. We do not seek to restrict the public from doing so and it’s important the UK has strong attendance at Cop28, given we continue to be a world leader in tackling climate change.”

The No 10 official added: “This government’s approach to tackling climate change, as we have set out repeatedly, is not about banning or reducing people from flying. It is through investing in new technologies of the future, as evidenced by the flight just yesterday using sustainable aviation fuel.”

[From The Independent]

This is hilariously tone-deaf. I’m blown away by the audacious stupidity of it, truly. Would it have been performative for Sunak and the king to make a point of “traveling together”? For sure, but it also would have simply made logistical sense – all three men arrived around the same time in Dubai! There was no reason for them to NOT travel together. Or, heaven forfend, simply take commercial flights!!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.