THE Tory government is keen to use the upcoming UN climate summit as an opportunity to rebrand itself – and wants to use plenty of Union flags in the process.
Whitehall sources say the COP26 conference, due to be held in Glasgow this autumn, will be “bigger than the Olympics”.
The Government sees the major global event as an opportunity to put Covid-19 behind it, forget the challenges of Brexit and promote the Union.
Although the event is behind held in Scotland’s biggest city, Boris Johnson has previously made his views on the nation’s involvement in it clear.
READ MORE: Video shows PM say he doesn't want FM 'anywhere near' summit
Last year it was reported that he refused to give Nicola Sturgeon a role in event planning. After he became Tory leader, he told his party conference that the First Minister shouldn’t be “anywhere near” the climate summit.
COP26 is considered to be a very significant event as it is the first COP to be held since the landmark Paris Agreement was signed. Scotland was the first country in the world to declare a “climate emergency”.
As the UK Government prepares for COP26, they are discussing ways to make it an effective rebranding opportunity.
Aides are thinking about a low-carbon torch procession, David Attenborough cameos and cuddly mascots for the summit, according to The Spectator.
On top of that, they are discussing projecting Union flags onto Glasgow landmarks.
Some civil servants fear the efforts to promote the Union will backfire, the publication reported. One aide said pro-independence protests are expected.
Màiri McAllan, the SNP’s Holyrood candidate for Clydesdale, said the move reveals the Tories' priorities.
“COP26 is a global summit of crucial importance to the future of our planet," she said. "An SNP government is determined to help secure a Glasgow Agreement that sees all countries commit to the action needed to tackle the climate crisis.
“It’s telling that rather than focusing on those vital objectives, Boris Johnson is instead obsessing about flags and ridiculous ideas about how he can politicise the event.
"If the Tories think an overload of flags on buildings is the way to promote the strength of the UK, then it shows how thin the case for the union actually is.
"While the Tories obsess about flags - because they have nothing positive to say and no credible policies - the SNP Scottish government will continue to focus on bringing the country safely through the pandemic and tackling some of the biggest global challenges we face including climate and ecological breakdown."
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has already ruled out attending due to concerns over disparities in vaccination progress between countries. Unless every country has a fair opportunity, she will not be coming to Glasgow.
READ MORE: Greta Thunberg won't attend Glasgow summit as COP26 'should be postponed'
UK aides are also concerned about the message an in-person summit could send as the world continues to struggle with the pandemic.
The Union push comes after a Tory MP interrupted a tourism expert giving evidence about COP26 planning at the Scottish Affairs Committee to ask about flags.
Last month Visit Scotland’s government and parliamentary affairs manager, Leon Thompson, was explaining how the event is being looked at from a tourism perspective. He was asked how his organisation is working with Visit Britain in the run-up to the major conference.
Thompson was interrupted by Alberto Costa: “The joint marketing opportunities – will that be carrying for example flags like the Saltire and the Union flag. Can you envisage Visit Scotland working with Visit Britain in joint promotional material that carries both flags?”
“Well we tend not to carry flags on our promotional material anyway,” the Visit Scotland representative told the MP. “We have a brand called Scotland Is Now which we’re part of. And working with Visit Britain, the relationship there is very much about sort of using the Britain dimension when we’re engaging with emerging markets. Markets that are not so familiar with the UK and Scotland. But where there are markets that understand Scotland very well then we obviously promote Scotland and the great things we have here.”
After the meeting, SNP MP Deidre Brock said the footage “says it all about Tory priorities”.
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