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Downing St denies report PM Johnson wants Cameron to lead climate summit

by Reuters
Sunday, 6 December 2020 13:34 GMT

Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron arrives to attend the National Service of Remembrance, on Remembrance Sunday, at The Cenotaph in Westminster, London, Britain, November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

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Johnson's office denied a report that he wanted Cameron to take over next year's UN COP26 climate change summit

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office on Sunday denied a report that he wanted his predecessor David Cameron to take over from business minister Alok Sharma as president of next year's United Nations COP26 climate change summit.

Earlier, ITV political editor Robert Peston said on Twitter that Johnson was keen for Cameron to take the job, but Cameron had not agreed because of his strong objections to a cut in Britain's foreign aid spending commitment announced last month.

"It's not true at all," a spokeswoman said in response to a request for comment from Reuters. "We are happy to knock it down."

The summit is due to take place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November next year.

Peston had said ministers had told him it was unsustainable for Sharma to do the COP26 job part-time at the same time as being business minister, after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden appointed John Kerry as his country's full-time negotiator.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

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