Prime Minister to announce new climate security envoy as UK continues climate leadership at COP31

• Speaking at the annual UN climate summit in Türkiye, the PM will set out how the transition to renewables is more urgent than ever

• New Special Representative for Climate Security will help the Government identify, plan and prepare for climate risks before they reach crisis point

• Prime Minister will meet President Lula of Brazil to discuss shared values, challenges and working together on the green transition

The UK will demonstrate its clear commitment to climate leadership today (Thursday 12 November) as the Prime Minister delivers the UK National Statement at the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

Following a summer of record heat, drought and wildfires, the Prime Minister will be clear that he is committed to protecting our communities by driving action internationally.

To meet this challenge, the government is announcing the appointment of a new Special Representative for Climate Security, with the former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, Dame Madeleine Alessandri, taking on the job.

In her new role, Dame Madeleine will strengthen the UK's international partnerships on climate security, while ensuring climate and nature risks are embedded in the UK's foreign and national security policy.

Dame Madeleine's appointment reinforces how the government is treating climate change as an urgent matter of national security. As well as continuing to pursue our international climate goals, the UK will work with partner countries to prepare for and tackle the impacts of climate change and the threats it poses to our national security.

Speaking at the Summit, Prime Minister Andy Burnham will say:

We should all recognise the summer was not normal.

The climate crisis is upon all of us now. We saw that with the wildfires that devastated lives and livelihoods everywhere.

The message I carry here, in my first COP as Prime Minister, is that the UK remains determined to reach net zero by 2050 and to work with our partners to build a clean energy future.

The world has changed. The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate action has broken down.

We will not stand by and that's why I've pledged a new era of British leadership over the next decade.

Dame Madeleine Alessandri said:

Climate change and nature loss are increasingly shaping the security environment in which the UK operates, placing additional pressure on resources, economies and communities around the world.

The best time to address these risks is before they develop into crises. In this role, I will work with partners across government and internationally to strengthen our understanding of climate threats, build resilience, and ensure we are better prepared for the challenges ahead.

The Prime Minister is also set to meet President Lula of Brazil in the margins of the summit following his re-election to a fourth term. They will discuss their shared progressive values, as well as vital efforts to protect the Amazon, reverse deforestation and accelerate the global green transition. This will include the UK's support for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility and work with other partners to help Brazil reach its $10 billion dollar goal.

It comes as the Prime Minister marked significant milestones with new offshore wind projects in Scotland and East Anglia yesterday (Wednesday 11 November), ahead of travelling to the Summit, underlining the UK's strong clean energy future and supporting thousands of good, skilled jobs for UK communities.

Energy company RWE, together with global investment firm KKR, announced an investment of £12 billion, believed to be the biggest of its kind in UK history to date. It will give the green light to its Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind farms, set to be operational by 2030 and delivering clean, secure, homegrown power to homes and businesses that will protect families from global fossil fuel price shocks. The investment will support more than 2,400 jobs during construction and operation, and once operational, the wind farms will have the capacity to supply the equivalent of around three million UK homes.

The financing for RWE's projects includes a £1 billion investment from the UK's National Wealth Fund - the fund's largest in offshore wind to date.

On top of this, Scottish-headquartered SSE has announced that the latest phase of its major offshore wind farm, Berwick Bank B, will back 2,677 skilled jobs in manufacturing, engineering and project delivery across the north of England and Scotland.

At its full capacity, Berwick Bank, off the East coast of Scotland, could become the world's largest offshore wind farm, capable of meeting more than 6% of current UK electricity demand.

To further accelerate the global transition, the Prime Minister will also set out new UK investment in the Climate Investment Fund's AMPLIFi initiative. The fund, designed by the UK and informed by British financial expertise, aims to mobilise up to £12 of private capital for every £1 of funding meaning that the UK's investment goes further, delivering value for money for the UK while supporting the renewable energy projects that are needed to achieve the global transition.

The PM is also set to announce that the UK is endorsing host nation Türkiye's pledge to increase electricity's share of global final energy consumption to 35% by 2035, with the government publishing a new Clean Electrification Roadmap setting out our domestic action and ambition to build stable, affordable and secure energy systems that are resilient to shocks.

Later today, the Prime Minister will travel on to Dublin for a meeting of the European Political Community.

While there, he is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia in support of Ukraine and discuss the Europe's response to an increasing threat picture, particularly in the hybrid domain.

Around 50 leaders are expected at the meeting in Dublin.