The UK has been accused of a “lack of coherence” in its preparations for crucial United Nations climate crisis talks due to take place in Glasgow later this year.

Mary Robinson, a former UN climate envoy and Ireland’s first female president, also gave a warning over the perception that major British politicians, including former premier David Cameron and former foreign secretary William Hague, were unwilling to take on the role of leading the COP26 summit. 

According to The Guardian, she said: “It is not helpful we are getting the impression that in the UK no one wants the job. This needs to be an overarching priority, that needs to come across. I do not see a coherent drive for [the summit] in the UK. The UK’s handling of COP26 has not become coherent enough for the UN even to be able to support them.” 

It comes after Claire Perry O’Neill, who was sacked as COP26 President by Boris Johnson last week, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson did “not get” climate change, lacked leadership and ambition on the issue, and had engaged in “playground politics” in his attitude towards the Scottish Government. 

A COP26 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister launched COP 26 with a speech positioning the UK as a world leader on tackling climate change and has called for international action to achieve global net zero emissions. There is a dedicated Government unit made up of civil servants and experts from the private sector working to deliver an ambitious and successful summit.”