In early June, with Australian prime minister Scott Morrison set to arrive for the G7 summit, the Whitehall buzz was of a grand bargain. Australia would get the access to Britain’s beef markets they craved; but in return, the trade deal would bind them into serious new commitments on climate change, a major achievement for Boris Johnson in what he’d called the government’s year of global leadership.
The G7 came and went. Johnson nudged elbows with Morrison on a draft deal the following week with plenty to say on beef, but precious little on climate. And a month later, we subsequently discovered, UK ministers bowed to Australian pressure and removed all references to targets. After this latest act of climate recalcitrance was revealed, Morrison was unapologetic: “In trade agreements, I deal with trade issues.”