Speeches by White.

“Yes. Matt, do you want to step in on the country action plans?”

“We are central to holding up the legal system internationally and the rule of law internationally, and I think that is of benefit to us as well. People know that we stick to our contract, we stick to our word, so we want to make sure that at the same time we are balancing and managing the risks and the exposure. The Gu…”

“I will start off, but Matt or Rachel may want to come in as well. Absolutely. I know from your constituency that you are embedded in the nuclear sector, which has had a revival under this Government, which is fantastic. For instance on small modular reactors, we have the deal now with Sweden, which is great, and we are…”

“As I say, we can always look at how we can go further and faster, and we were looking at that. On forests and the progress we have made, the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership is a completely separate track. There is a lot of activity going on in forests. It is an area that has been transformed in the last decade …”

“I think that you are absolutely right, and Rachel mentioned it. We are not just in the face of a climate crisis, we are in an energy crisis. This energy crisis is as big as the 1970s and Ukraine put together. It is enormous, and you are absolutely right to look at the long tail of that and what the implications are now…”

“I think it is about balancing risk at all times but on each free trade agreement we ensure that we look at what the risks are around any exposure, as you would expect us to do. We are looking and there are different sections that we can write to the Committee about how we have managed on each of them. As I say, it is a…”

“There was always going to be robust discussions, but we want to make sure that we are balancing that. However, your wider point on energy security being part of the mix is absolutely crucial and is a core part of our agenda. I also launched a climate security taskforce the week before last, which I am doing with the Se…”

“Let me take this back, because we have played a role in setting up the TFFF, which is what you refer to, which is a key amount. That remains under review. You will understand, like everybody else, that we are not making big investment decisions now, but that remains under review. It is an important part of our ecosyste…”

“In terms of—”

“I think that that is an unfair challenge. We have put ourselves right at the heart of the agenda again. Britain, at the end of the last Government was certainly not at the heart of the negotiating table. There has been progress on forests. The Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership is something that we have been worki…”

“Let me take that in three parts, one on the support. I know that in this place—and I have had this conversation with many of you—I do not think that Parliament often reflects what is going on in public. If you look at all of the public polling, the support for tackling climate change is way higher than you would believ…”

“Sorry, I was cantering through, Chair. We had five events that were based around the local net zero hubs. It was about celebrating a lot of the work that is going on within communities and providing a space for those communities, businesses and groups to learn from what they had been doing, what others could learn from…”

“On any trade agreement on international trade, there is clearly a quid pro quo. We are engaging in a deal with countries and we are always looking at how to balance that most effectively to protect our interests but gain access to other markets. I am fully aware of the growing interest in ISDS. We did, as a Government,…”

“No.”

“Chair, if I can clarify, the criticism is towards the Government and not towards the UNFCCC process?”

“We are working through that. It is a responsibility of everybody in Government to make sure that we meet the necessary increase in investments in defence. DESNZ had a good settlement at the comprehensive spending review. We are all willing to play our full role in meeting those defence investment plans, and we are work…”

“I am Katie White. I am the Climate Minister.”

“Excellent question. I will start off and then I might hand over to my colleague. Thank you for your leadership on this agenda over the last couple of decades—I am trying to remember how long ago this is. Same page, a little while ago. I was not at the COPs as much when we were in opposition, so the officials and Rachel…”

“I think that is a little unfair. Can I put at the heart of this my boss, who, wherever you sit within the House and your position, would see has met this agenda with a huge amount of energy and leadership and determination? Britain has always been a leader on tackling climate change, and I give credit to the last Gover…”

“We are exploring options as part of these wider conversations but I do not want to give the Committee the sense that we are at the brink. We are at the beginning of these conversations. For anybody who has had the pleasure of going to the UNFCCC and seen the complication of it, adding the WTO with the UNFCCC is not nec…”