Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has visited Brazil to build a 'climate justice' partnership between a potential Labour government and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lammy said a Labour victory at the next general election would allow Keir Starmer to forge a radical climate alliance with Brazil ahead of the UN's Cop30 summit in Belém in 2025.
In an interview, Lammy described it as 'a very exciting, progressive moment' that could benefit both countries and the planet. He criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for using the climate emergency as a 'political football', citing the approval of new North Sea oil and gas licences as sending the wrong message from the global north.
Lammy discussed green foreign policy ideas with Brazil's foreign minister Mauro Vieira and other officials, including making the climate emergency a UN Security Council priority, introducing 'ecocide' into international law, and restoring UK foreign aid to 0.7% of GDP. He also visited indigenous and agro-forestry communities in the Amazon.
Labour has been accused of softening some green pledges, including delaying a £28bn-a-year green investment plan. However, Lammy insisted Labour would not issue new oil and gas licences, though existing ones would continue for 20-30 years due to commercial costs.
