Cop26 latest news: Boris Johnson warns world has 'run down clock' on climate change as he opens summit - watch live
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Nicola Sturgeon has said she "shares" Boris Johnson's pessimism of a positive outcome to the climate talks at Cop26 but urged world leaders to "put our shoulders to the wheel".
Last week the Prime Minister said it was "touch and go" whether the summit will be successful, telling a children's press conference he was "very worried" about the chances of a good outcome. Yesterday he doubled-down on those comments, saying the world was at "one minute to midnight".
This morning Scotland's First Minister said: "The Prime Minister is right to be pessimistic at this stage - I share his pessimism. But we've all got to put the pessimism to one side and put our shoulders to the wheel.
"The UK, having the presidency of this Cop, has a particular responsibility to corral the leaders, to bring them together, to encourage them to do more than they are currently committed to do," she told Sky News.
Ed Miliband, Labour's shadow business secretary, echoed those comments, saying: "I don't think we want to declare this a failure. This is too important for failure.
"But wherever we end up, my prediction is that Glasgow will be beginning not the end."
Follow the latest updates below.
12:47 PM
Cop26 is time to 'defuse that bomb', says Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson says even if there are "real world" game-changing commitments made in Cop26, there will still be imminent issues that need to be addressed.
"If summits alone solved climate change, we wouldn't have needed 25 previous Cops to get where we are today," he tells Glasgow.
But this months's summit must mark "the beginning of the end" of climate change, he adds.
Cop is a "lifeboat for humanity" that must be given "a mighty shove into the water".
In the next days, leaders must "devote ourselves to this extraordinary task", he adds, exhorting them to think about "those beady eyes" of those watching and the unborn who will be angry "if we fail".
"We may not feel much like James Bond. Not all of us necessarily look much like James Bond. But we have the opportunity and the duty to make this summit the moment when humanity finally began to defuse that bomb."
12:43 PM
Future generations will judge Cop26 failure with 'bitterness and resentment'
Boris Johnson says that the "billions who are watching" Cop26 will notice the average age of the world leaders is over 60.
He says he "fully intends" to be alive in 2060 - "a mere 94 years old - even if I am not in Downing Street".
But the children who will judge actions now are not yet born. It is a "vast and accountable audience", who will not forgive leaders if they fail.
"They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn, they will judge us with bitterness and resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists today, and they will be right," he adds.
12:40 PM
Cop26: Past promises will be 'nothing but blah, blah, blah' without action now
Past promises will be "nothing but blah, blah, blah" if Cop26 is not "the moment when we get real about climate change", Boris Johnson has said.
"We can get real about coal, cars, cash and trees," he adds.
Although it is "too late" to address all the challenges in one go, leaders can "phase out the use of cars with hydrocarbon internal combustion engines by 2035", he says, noting that the UK has banned new sales by 2030.
Hundreds of millions of trees can be planted, he adds. "It is not technologically difficult."
He notes that the steam engine was invented in Glasgow 250 years ago, saying "we have brought you to the very place where the doomsday clock began to tick", as he emphasises the need for developed nations to find solutions.
But he stresses that public funds cannot do it alone, and urges the private sector to invest too.
12:36 PM
Boris Johnson: Climate challenge like 'doomsday device' faced by James Bond
Boris Johnson has welcomed leaders to Cop26, "to Glasgow and to Scotland", saying the most famous fictional son of the nation is James Bond.
He likens 007 trying to stop a ticking bomb with what leaders must do at the climate summit, although notes the "doomsday device" is real, with emissions "quilting the earth" with CO2.
"We know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them," he adds.
Two degrees more and we jeopardise food supplies, three degrees more fires and cyclones, droughts and heatwaves. Four degrees "and we say goodbye to whole cities".
Leaders must grapple those challenges today, the Prime Minister says, noting we are "one minute to midnight".
12:32 PM
Bagpipes and poetry kick off Cop26
Leaders including Boris Johnson and the Prince of Wales are now watching the opening ceremony of Cop26, which so far has included traditional pipes and a poem written especially for the climate summit.
12:26 PM
Watch: Boris Johnson greets Emmanuel Macron at COP26 amid tense fishing row
12:24 PM
Telegraph talks about the town on the frontline of climate change
With the world's leaders descending on Glasgow for Cop26, you can be certain that climate change will dominate the headlines for the coming days.
With thin ice, thawing freezers and whaling threatened, the Alaskan town of Utqiagvik is at the forefront of the climate crisis.
Join The Telegraph's Jamie Johnson and Helen Nianias at 1pm to hear more.
12:19 PM
Lobby latest: No 10 dodges questions about contingency measures over France's threats
Downing Street has declined to set out whether there are contingency plans if France carries out threats in the fishing rights row, or when it understands the French deadline to be.
Speaking to journalists this morning a No 10 spokesman said: "We are keen for France to take a step back from the threats."
He pointed to last week's warning that the UK could launch dispute settlement proceedings under the Brexit trade deal, and Brexit minister Lord Frost's threat of retaliatory "practical responses".
"It is the French who have issued the threat, we're keen to continue to abide by the TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) and continue to look at licences and the validity of them as they're applied for," he added.
Asked whether it was clear if the deadline for an agreement on licences set by France for Tuesday was at the beginning or the end of the day, the spokesman said: "That would be a question for the French."
Pressed what the British understanding of the deadline is, he said: "It's the French who have set out the timescale as per their threat, our focus is on trying to work with them and hope they step back from the threats they've made."
12:12 PM
Justin Welby: Cop26 must transform the lives of our children and grandchildren
Among those caught up in the queue to get into Cop26 this morning was Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, - although he described it as "more of a mob than a queue".
The archbishop, who is visiting the summit for a day, told The Telegraph what the UK is "trying to achieve here is something that will transform the lives of our children and grandchildren", writes Emma Gatten.
"And if it fails, it will also transform their lives. They will not be able to escape the implications and the impact, particularly of people movements that will come."
He added: "We've got about 85 million refugees in the world at the moment. In 1945 there were 22 million at the end of the Second World War. By 2050, without changes, we're looking at perhaps 10 times as many as we've got now. 800 million. And places like Northern Europe will be where they want to go because it will be safe, livable."
12:09 PM
Cop26: Macron dodges questions about trust in Boris Johnson
A big press scrum around French President Emmanuel Macron just now as reporters spotted him passing through one of the halls in Cop26, writes Ben Riley-Smith.
The Telegraph caught the end of it (which was all in French, naturally). But when reporters started shouting “do you trust Boris Johnson” in English he soon walked off.
Some of the world leaders here in Glasgow are expected to attend the Prime Minister’s opening speech, which is due to start in a few minutes’ time.
12:03 PM
Cop 26 attendees filter through ahead of Boris Johnson's 'opening ceremony'
Hello from a huge plenary session room where Boris Johnson, Prince Charles and Sir David Attenborough will all shortly be giving speeches kicking off Cop26, writes Ben Riley-Smith.
The opening ceremony, as it has been dubbed, starts at noon. Attendees are just starting to filter in now, some posing for selfies before the giant dark blue screens at the front.
There are hundreds of seats with microphones and titles saying who they are reserved for - many are for countries, some are for development bodies or industry groups.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, will also be speaking. Mr Johnson is expected to warn that the world is “one minute to midnight” in the race to avert a climate catastrophe.
12:01 PM
Utter chaos as Cop26 delegates face massive queues to enter conference
Queues of 90 minutes to gain access to the conference centre this morning have sparked grumbles among attendees, writes Lucy Fisher.
Critics branded the entry system "utter chaos" as assorted delegates, observers and journalists jostled outside the venue gate in a snaking line that was more than 20 people abreast. Ministers were allowed to skip the wait and head in via a fast track lane.
Complaints have also arisen about security guards attempting to prevent domestic and international broadcasters filming the queue in the lead up to the Scottish Event Campus.
Once inside the first tent, attendees encountered a more orderly cordon system as they waited to have their passes checked and bags scanned.
11:54 AM
Analysis: Cop26 is not the real challenge - persuading voters will be tough
A week before it began, Boris Johnson was already in damage limitation mode, saying that the success of Cop26 is "touch and go", writes Catherine Neilan.
But leaving aside the fact that several key figures - including Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin - aren't around the table, the challenges of striking a unanimous agreement from 120 leaders, or that the start of the summit has been overshadowed by travel chaos, the next two weeks in Glasgow will be a walk in the park compared to what happens thereafter.
Because, despite the limited mention of climate change in Rishi Sunak's Budget, grappling with the challenges will be expensive, require a fundamental change in attitude - and many of the costs will fall unequally. Selling it to a domestic audience, without losing voters, is going to be a headache for leaders of all stripes.
The Cumbria coal mine is one such example of the challenges facing the UK Government (see 8:33am). Maintaining the union through measures such as cutting domestic air passenger duty is enough.
Keeping voters happy, and the country together, while taking a lead on the green agenda could prove one of the biggest tests of the Prime Minister yet.
11:44 AM
More from our political editor on the ground at Cop26...
11:38 AM
Disgraced MP has Tory membership restored
Disgraced MP Rob Roberts has been given his Tory membership back, in a move that Labour said would "let him off the hook" for sexually harassing a member of staff.
The Conservatives confirmed on Monday morning that Mr Roberts was a Tory party member again after a 12-week suspension. However the MP for Delyn in North Wales will continue to sit as an independent as the Tories are still withholding the party whip in the House of Commons.
A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: "Rob Roberts' membership suspension concluded on Monday November 1 after serving a 12-week suspension. The whip will remain suspended."
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds described the scheduled end of Mr Roberts' suspension as "scandalous".
"Rob Roberts should have resigned as an MP the moment he was suspended. That he is now set to return to the Conservative Party shows they've let him off the hook," she added.
11:33 AM
Chancellor's fiscal headroom could be 'easily wiped out', warns OBR
The Chancellor could struggle to reach his targets of both reducing debt and balancing the current budget deficit in three years, according to the Government's Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Asked by MPs on the Treasury Select Committee why the officials said the UK was in for a "wild ride" in terms of achieving the new fiscal rules, OBR chairman Richard Hughes said their is little wiggle room.
He said: "The Chancellor set himself some new fiscal rules in this budget and they are to get debt falling as a share of GDP (gross domestic product) by 2024/25 and balance the current budget.
"The headroom he set aside to reach those targets is the second-lowest headroom that any chancellor has had when setting fiscal rules."
He added: "Just a one per cent interest rate rise could easily wipe out the Chancellor's headroom."
11:32 AM
Climate activists' voices should be 'heard loudly and clearly'
Nicola Sturgeon has met with young climate activist Greta Thunberg as the world's leaders gather in Glasgow for Cop26.
Scotland's First Minister said their voices should be heard during the summit, adding: "The next few days should not be comfortable for leaders."
11:25 AM
All smiles as world leaders arrive at Cop26
Fresh from his negative Covid test (see 10:47am), Joe Biden has arrived in Scotland for the first day of Cop26.
Having flown in from Rome where he had attended the G20, the US president is due to address the summit in Glasgow at 1pm.
Meanwhile Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson managed to put aside their differences over fishing to pose for photographers at the top of the conference.
The Prime Minister has also greeted Angela Merkel, while Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, has welcomed Justin Trudeau.
11:15 AM
'Critical metric for judging Cop26 success is 2030 commitments'
Ben Riley-Smith, The Telegraph's political editor, says the "critical metric" for judging the success of Cop26 is the extent of commitments for 2030.
"Pledges to hit Net Zero by 2050, 2060 etc are all well and good but should not be a replacement to action this decade," he says. "The critical metric: How much global total emissions in 2030 are cut."
"Under current commitments global total emissions are around 53 gigatonnes (of what’s called ‘CO2 equivalent’). To have a chance of global warming peaking at just 1.5C (as PM has championed) that needs to be more than halved to 25 gigatonnes.
"Some of those watching Cop closely say this is the key test for success - whether there is real progress in dropping that emissions figure down, such that the ‘keep 1.5 alive’ rhetoric has been matched with action."
11:06 AM
France has 48 hours to back down on fishing threats or face legal action, says Foreign Secretary
France has 48 hours to back down on fishing threats or the UK will bring legal action over the row, the Foreign Secretary has said.
Speaking as the key climate summit Cop26 kicks off, Liz Truss rejected suggestions a deal had been done, and showed no sign of the UK shifting its stance, warning that the UK would seek "compensatory measures" if France did not "back down".
Ms Truss told Sky News: "The French have made completely unreasonable threats, including to the Channel Islands and to our fishing industry, and they need to withdraw those threats or else we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action."
The Cabinet minister added: "This issue needs to be resolved within the next 48 hours." Asked if that could include legal action, she said "absolutely".
She later told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the UK would not "roll over in the face of these threats."
But Pierre-Henri Dumont, the centre-Right Republicains MP for Calais, said France would back "harder negotiations" to make Britain "understand that fishing rights are very important for us and that was part of the deal".
He told the Today programme: “We can find retaliation on scallops. We can find retaliation on docking in France. We can find retaliation on electricity... that’s on the table."
11:05 AM
Iain Dale: Desperate Macron is entirely in the wrong
The surface bonhomie Emmanuel Macron expressed to Boris Johnson at the G20 this weekend masked the reality that France is using every means possible to flex its rapidly diminishing diplomatic muscles, writes Iain Dale.
Everything Macron does has to be seen through the prism of next April’s presidential election. His country is beset by all sorts of economic and societal problems.
Things have become so bad that a group of soldiers has written a letter to the media warning about the very survival of France. So what better than a spat with the British about fishing to attract voters from the nationalist right?
10:50 AM
US broadcaster in wrong city for Cop26
Welcome to Edinburgh, where no one except CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer is spending the fortnight of Cop26.
The rest of the world - including many journalists - are in Glasgow, where the event is actually being held.
10:47 AM
You shall go to the Cop26 ball: Joe Biden tests negative for Covid
US President Joe Biden has tested negative for Covid-19, after his chief spokeswoman tested positive, the White House said Monday.
The "president was tested as well, a PCR test yesterday, and he tested negative," Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, on the way to the UN climate summit in Glasgow.
Jean-Pierre said Biden's test on Sunday was not in response to news of the positive result for Press Secretary Jen Psaki, but was done "independently" and was "required for entering the UK."
Ms Psaki, who has frequent access to Biden in the White House, pulled out of his trip to Rome for a G20 summit and the following Glasgow event after family members tested positive for Covid-19.
10:45 AM
'We didn't deface Effel Tower': Australia hits back at France over Aukus rawcus
Australia's deputy prime minister has told France to keep things in perspective after Emmanuel Macron accused Canberra of lying about cancelling their submarine building contract in September.
Barnaby Joyce told reporters "We didn’t steal an island, we didn’t deface the Eiffel Tower. It was a contract."
"Contracts have terms and conditions, and one of those terms and conditions and propositions is that you might get out of the contract."
See 8:58am for more
10:30 AM
Glasgow bin collectors strike as Cop26 kicks off
Bin collectors and street cleaners have walked out on strike as Glasgow hosts world leaders for the Cop26 summit, amid a row between a union and the city council.
GMB members walked out at one minute past midnight on Monday following the collapse of last-ditch talks between the union and Glasgow City Council on Sunday evening. Workers will strike throughout the first full week of the Cop26 summit.
The planned strike action had been called off on Friday following a new pay offer from council umbrella body Cosla.
But GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: "We met the council in good faith, offering a clear set of proposals to reset industrial relations and avoid strikes. The council rejected these proposals.
"Regrettably, the council refused this massive opportunity to move forward, and strike action across the cleansing service will now begin, during which time our members will be balloted on the Cosla pay offer."
10:19 AM
UK to underwrite $1bn green infrastructure loan for India
Boris Johnson is set to announce a sovereign guarantee for a $1 billion World Bank loan for India to develop green infrastructure, Reuters is reporting.
The Prime Minister is expected to make the announcement as part of the major climate change summit Cop26, which kicks off in Glasgow today.
"The UK's biggest finance offer to India at Cop26 will be a $1 billion sovereign guarantee for additional World Bank lending for green infra," Reuters cites one of the sources saying.
Spokespeople for the Indian and UK governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
10:16 AM
In pictures: Boris Johnson welcomes (most of) the world's leaders to Cop26
Boris Johnson has spent most of the day so far welcoming leaders to Cop26, including the Commission's Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council President Charles Michel.
Beyond the shores of Europe, he has also welcomed leaders from Israel, several South American countries and parts of Africa.
Outside the conference centre, activists have gathered and brought the "big heads" from the summer's G7 summit in Cornwall.
10:10 AM
Tim Stanley: Boris's patriotic, pro-market green agenda deserves Tory support
Climate conferences are boring, duplicitous and elitist, writes Tim Stanley. Unfortunately, they also matter.
Conservatives ought to wish Boris Johnson the best of British at Cop26, not just to get the promises and, crucially, the technical commitments required to save the world, but to shape the debate over the kind of environmentalism we’re going to get. Pro-market or crypto-socialist?
Many backbenchers seem convinced that Boris is only keen on this stuff thanks to the malign influence of his wife. The “Carrie Wears the Pants” theory of British politics hinges upon the assumption that Boris doesn’t have a philosophy, hence it’s easy for friends and family to make him believe anything – plus the suspicion that the climate scare is slightly overblown, that the British government has fallen, yet again, to capture by idiot experts.
09:44 AM
Another strong man bites the dust: Erdogan bails on Cop26 over motorcade restrictions
Turkey's President has cancelled plans to attend the COP26 climate conference after Britain failed to meet Ankara's demands on security arrangements.
Tayyip Erdogan, who has returned to Turkey direct from the G20 summit in Rome, joins Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Jair Bolsonaro as climate summit no-shows.
Although no reason has been officially given for the decision, Reuters is reporting two officials saying it was "protocol" issues and security, suggesting that restrictions over the president's motorcade was to blame.
"The president took such a decision because our demands regarding the number of vehicles for security and some other security related demands were not fully met," one senior official told Reuters.
09:36 AM
Meat tax? Ed Milband has 'cut down on the bacon sarnies'
Ed Miliband has said he has "cut down on the bacon sarnies" when asked about George Eustice's support for a meat tax.
On the eve of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, the Environment Secretary told The Telegraph that the UK will need to “move into the realms of things like carbon taxes” when existing EU agricultural subsidies are finally phased out.
Asked about these comments, the former Labour leader joked: "Well, I've cut down on the bacon sarnies - if I can do it, everybody else can."
09:29 AM
Ed Miliband: Cop26 is 'beginning, not the end'
Cop26 is the "beginning, not the end" of the move to resolve climate change, Labour's Ed Miliband has said, as he called for annual summits to agree any outstanding measures after the two-week summit ends.
The shadow business secretary noted that the meeting was more complicated than usual summits because any agreement must have total unanimity, with more than 190 countries attending.
"Everyone has got to agree for this summit to succeed," he told Sky News. "If one or two countries object it could detail the whole thing. This is not a normal summit, this is not just 'have a nice photo' - this is really hard yards," he added.
Asked how optimistic he was about the chances of success, he said: "I don't think we want to declare this a failure. This is too important for failure. But wherever we end up, my prediction is that Glasgow will be beginning not the end."
The next scheduled summit, in 2025, is "too long to wait", he added so "anything short, we have got to say we are not waiting until 2025 - we are coming back this year or next year".
09:24 AM
Labour: UK must form 'pincer movement' to get China to act on climate
The UK must form a "pincer movement" with developing countries in a bid to force big emitters like China to act, Labour's Ed Miliband has said.
"Money for developing countries, vulnerable countries - the countries that might actually disappear - is so important. It's important morally but also for success of this summit," he told Sky News.
The "pincer movement" of countries that "want to take action putting pressure on countries like China - that is what is going to produce results," he added.
The shadow business secretary said it was "regrettable" that China's President Xi Jinping was not attending, and blamed it on the Prime Minister being a "lastminute.gov kind of guy".
09:18 AM
Don't give out 'free passes for big emitters', Labour tells Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson should have realised years ago that climate change is a "really tough" challenge to resolve, Ed Miliband has said.
After the Prime Minister's warning that the world is a "one minute to midnight", the shadow business secretary said: "I am glad he has finally realised it is really tough, but I do wish he had realised it two years ago when summit was being planned. He shouldn't be saying, just as the summit begins, that we are in trouble."
The former Labour leader told Sky News that the Government "can't negotiate with the science" and therefore had to focus on what it could get from the assembled world leaders.
"The Government should put pressure on all the big countries," he added, singling out Australia for "not doing nearly enough".
He added: "There should be no free passes for any of the big emitters."
09:13 AM
Ed Miliband backs Government on fishing row with France
Labour's Ed Miliband has said he backs the Government over the fishing row with France, saying: "I don't like the way the French have behaved on this at all."
The former party leader and shadow business secretary told Sky News: "This is not what we need at any time, it is certainly not what we need now. This is the biggest global summit ever, and that is where the focus should be."
"So let's lower the temporary on both sides- threats aren't going to get us anywhere."
Asked if he supports the Government, he replied: "I do. I fear it may be being done in France for domestic political reasons."
He said it would not "derail" Cop26, but added: "We can't let it distract us one iota from what we are doing here."
08:58 AM
Macron says Australian PM lied over submarine deal
It's not just Britain that Emmanuel Macron has le bœuf with.
The French President claims his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September. The two leaders met in Rome this weekend for the first time since the Aukus deal caught Paris off guard, prompting it to recall ambassadors from Washington and Canberra amid accusations that France had been betrayed.
"I don't think, I know," Mr Macron said in response to a question whether he thought that Mr Morrison had lied to him.
He told Australian reporters: "I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line, and consistently, with this value."
08:48 AM
Boris Johnson: History will judge us on success of Cop26
He added: "I’ll be asking world leaders to take action on coal, cars, cash and trees – to keep alive the prospect of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees."
08:40 AM
Failure not an option: Nicola Sturgeon tells world leaders to 'step up' climate commitments
Nicola Sturgeon has said world leaders must "step up" their commitments to resolving climate change, saying those made ahead of Cop26 are not enough.
Asked if the summit would be a success, she told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I don't know is the honest answer to that right now... The leaders haven't yet arrived here, they will arrive over the course of the morning and perhaps this time tomorrow we'll have a better idea of the answer to that question.
"If the commitments that have been made coming into this conference are the commitments coming out of this conference, this answer will be no," she added. "So it's in the balance and leaders have got to step up and increase their scale of ambition if it's to be a success.
"We can't afford failure here. The future of the planet, quite literally, the future of generations to come and in much nearer term the continued existence of many communities in the world depend on success here. So failure is really not an option."
08:38 AM
UK must 'put Cop26 pessimism to one side', says Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon has said she "shares" Boris Johnson's pessimism of a positive outcome to the climate talks at Cop26 but urged world leaders to "put our shoulders to the wheel".
The Prime Minister has said it is "touch and go" whether the summit will be successful, telling a children's press conference he was "very worried" about the chances of a good outcome.
This morning Scotland's First Minister told Sky News: "The Prime Minister is right to be pessimistic at this stage - I share his pessimism. But we've all got to put the pessimism to one side and put our shoulders to the wheel.
"The UK, having the presidency of this Cop, has a particular responsibility to corral the leaders, to bring them together, to encourage them to do more than they are currently committed to do.
"There's a big gap on emissions, a big gap on climate finance - so much, much work to be done, and I will do everything I can to push it in the right direction."
08:33 AM
Boris Johnson 'not in favour of more coal'
Boris Johnson has restated his opposition to the creation of a new coal mine in Cumbria - potentially putting him on a collision course with his own backbenchers.
Speaking as Cop26 kicks off, the Prime Minister said the world is at "one minute to midnight", having run down the clock on waiting to combat climate change as he confirmed he did not want to see a controversial proposed coal mine in Cumbria go ahead.
"I'm not in favour of more coal," he told the BBC "But it is not a decision for me, it is a decision for the planning authorities."
During a children's press conference last week, Mr Johnson said: "We don't want to support new coal mines."
However local politicians including Workington MP Mark Jenkinson and Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Mayor, have both backed the project as a way of kick-starting the local economy.
08:26 AM
UK will not 'roll over' on fishing row, says Liz Truss
Liz Truss has said the UK "is simply not going to roll over" in the face of France's "serious" threats over fishing licences.
The Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme; "We don't want confrontation, we want to reach a constructive agreement that allows that trade to flow freely."
The threats coming from France were "completely unwarranted", and not "the type of rhetoric we would expect to see from a close friend and ally".
"I call on France to withdraw those threats," she added, saying the UK. "We simple cannot have a situation where we are being threatened like that."
Boris Johnson made that point to Emmanuel Macron during the pair's meeting yesterday, she added.
08:19 AM
No to meat tax, says Liz Truss
Liz Truss said she would not support a "meat tax" on foods with a high-carbon footprint after Environment Secretary George Eustice raised the prospect.
The Foreign Secretary told Sky News: "I wouldn't support a meat tax.
"I think it's really important that we support our fantastic British farming industry and I think it's important that rather than using the stick to encourage people to become more climate friendly we use the carrot, if that's not mixing metaphors with meat.
"And we actually make a climate-friendly lifestyle more affordable for people."
08:16 AM
Watch: How climate change will define Boris Johnson's legacy
It was David Cameron who originally said "vote blue, go green", but it has fallen to Boris Johnson to be the Conservative Prime Minister having to put green measures into action.
As COP26 gets underway, Mr Johnson has stressed the importance of coming away from the summit with serious commitments from world leaders.
His reputation for leadership on the world stage could be at stake.
But Mr Johnson is also facing significant pressure from his own party. Around 40 Conservative MPs have formed the Net Zero Scrutiny Group to warn of the high costs of implement the measures necessary for achieving the 2050 goal.
Watch the full analysis by The Telegraph's Deputy Political Editor Lucy Fisher in the video above.
08:15 AM
'Intense negotiations' to ensure countries hit climate targets, says Foreign Secretary
Liz Truss has said the UK would "put pressure" on countries to match targets and ensure funding for developing countries who are on "the frontline of climate change".
The Foreign Secretary repeated the Prime Minister's warning that the success of Cop26 was "touch and go", with much riding on how willing leaders are to commit to the "details" of funding packages.
"There will be really intense negotiations in the coming days, making sure more countries are willing to take action, and making sure we have finances to make sure countries can do what they need to do," she told Sky News. "We will put pressure on them to do just that."
Ms Truss also defended the need to meet in person, despite yesterday's travel chaos, saying Zoom would not be enough.
08:13 AM
Cop26 no-shows because of Covid, Foreign Secretary claims
Liz Truss has suggested the leaders of China, Brazil and Russia are not attending Cop26 because of Covid.
Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Jair Bolsonaro are not expected to join around 120 world leaders in Glasgow over the coming days, but delegates from their respective regimes are.
The Foreign Secretary told Sky News: "Some of those leaders simply aren’t travelling" because of Covid.
"Those countries are all sending delegations here for negotiations," she added. "I have spoken to my Chinese counterpart, made it clear that we want to see more ambition.
"We will be working to hold all of those countries to account. It is a borderless problem, and we will only solve it if we have every single country on board."
08:11 AM
Fishing row must not overshadow Cop26, Foreign Secretary tells France
Liz Truss has said the row with France over fishing must cannot be allowed to overshadow Cop26.
The Foreign Secretary rejected suggestions that a deal had already been agreed, telling Sky News: "The deal hasn’t been done, the French have made completely unreasonable threats including to channel islands and our fishing industry.
She added: "We all know how important Cop is for all of us and our futures - this cannot be allowed to overshadow the most important conference of a generation."
08:00 AM
EU chief accuses UK of seeking Brexit clash
Brussels has warned the UK not to “embark on a path of confrontation”, amid tensions over Northern Ireland and post-Brexit fishing rights.
Ahead of a crunch week for UK-EU relations, Marcos Sefcovic, a European Commission vice-president, urged Lord Frost, his British counterpart, to back down and reconsider the EU’s proposals to reduce checks on British goods entering Northern Ireland under the protocol.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Sefcovic said: “I am increasingly concerned that the UK Government will refuse to engage with this and embark on a path of confrontation.”
Mr Sefcovic’s intervention comes after Boris Johnson accused France on Sunday of breaking the “spirit and letter” of the UK’s Brexit settlement with the EU, as the cross-Channel spat over fishing grew increasingly bitter.
Talks between UK and EU officials in Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol resume on Monday, with Lord Frost and Mr Sefcovic set to meet on Friday to decide whether progress has been made. The pair are also likely to discuss the row over fishing.
07:59 AM
Good Morning
After much anticipation, and no small amount of travel chaos, the good and the great have descended on Glasgow for Cop26.
But with no-shows from the leaders of China, Russia and Brazil, questions remain as to how successful the climate summit will be.
Meanwhile the fishing row between the UK and France threatens to overshadow the gathering, with tensions rising and neither side showing any sign of backing down. Here's today's front page.
