BORIS Johnson has asked Theresa May to take charge of the COP26 climate summit planned for Glasgow in 2021.
May has not turned down the post, according to The Sunday Times, but she has been put off by the prospect of having to work closely with Dominic Cummings.
The former prime minister has reportedly discussed climate change with Johnson because she had introduced the target for the UK to be “net zero” in carbon emissions by 2050.
The climate summit will see leaders from across the world descend on Scotland’s biggest city for a “global stocktake” of the progress made since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
May’s appointment would be a step forward for Johnson’s Government, which was accused of “implicit failure” last month when it emerged how a man filled every single senior position at the summit.
READ MORE: Westminster urged to U-turn on 'unthinkable' exclusion of women from Cop26
Speaking at the time, SNP MSP Gillian Martin said it was “unthinkable” not to have a single woman in the climate conference’s leading team, adding: “Women and girls around the world are on the frontline of the fight for climate justice.
“The decision to exclude women from leadership positions at the COP26 summit speaks volumes about the UK Government’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.”
As it stands, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma is the COP26 convention president.
Sharma will be joined on his all-male team by Lord Callanan, a parliamentary under secretary for business, Zac Goldsmith, the environment minister, and business minister Kwasi Kwarteng.
Johnson and his foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, are both also due to take prominent roles at the conference.
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