Burnham tells COP31 'Britain is back' as he pledges net zero and new climate security envoy

Prime Minister Andy Burnham addressed the COP31 climate summit on 12 November 2026, telling delegates that "the summer from which Britain recently emerged was not normal" and that he had spent his first three weeks in office responding to what he described as the worst wildfires Britain has ever experienced, according to the text of his speech published by GOV.UK [1]. Mr Burnham said this experience had convinced him it was important to attend the summit "to show British leadership in a world where climate issues have taken too much of a backseat," according to the published speech [1]. He told leaders that "the climate crisis is not a distant threat" and said it was "devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere," according to [1]. The Prime Minister drew a connection between the wildfires and what he called "two wars across two continents" that have pushed up fuel prices and gas bills for families and businesses worldwide, saying "the common thread running through all of this, our dependence on fossil fuels," according to [1]. Mr Burnham confirmed the UK's commitment to its 2050 net zero target and said the government backed COP31's focus on electrification, citing energy security as a central reason, according to the GOV.UK text [1]. He said reliance on energy "we do not control" left countries "exposed to prices we cannot control," according to [1]. The Prime Minister pointed to recent government decisions as evidence of progress, saying that the UK had approved two major offshore wind projects the day before his speech, which he said would bring billions in investment and support thousands of jobs, according to [1]. He also cited a government-funded electric arc furnace in South Wales, which he said was one of the largest in Europe and would secure 5,000 steelworking jobs, and said Rolls-Royce was taking small modular nuclear reactor technology "around the world," according to [1]. Reflecting on the five years since he last attended a COP summit — as Mayor of Greater Manchester at COP26 — Mr Burnham said "we have not moved as quick as I had hoped," adding that "the world feels very different now and we need to adapt," according to [1]. He also acknowledged that "the consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate has gone" and said "the reality is now the world will reach 1.5 degrees," according to the published remarks [1]. Describing climate as "a national security issue," the Prime Minister announced the appointment of Dame Madeline Alessandri as the UK's first special representative for climate security, according to [1]. Mr Burnham also announced UK support for a programme named Amplify, which he said would aim to secure £5 billion in new private finance for clean energy projects internationally, building on what he described as the City of London's record of converting modest public funding into larger private investment, according to [1]. Referencing last week's Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Prime Minister said he had been struck by "the climate premium paid by developing nations" and committed that the UK, as it takes up the G20 presidency next year, would put "climate resilience back on the agenda," naming debt, development and insurance as key issues, according to [1]. He closed by saying the UK would "proudly maintain its support to preserve tropical forests and oceans" and declaring "Britain is back and ready to play its full part," according to the GOV.UK text [1]. GOV.UK has not published any response from other COP31 delegations to the speech, and this remains unconfirmed.