AN MP has urged the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy to prioritise climate change ahead of an important summit next year.

Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and the Border, joined other MPs and peers in writing a letter to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, asking him to keep climate change on the agenda.

It comes as the UK is set to host the UN Climate Summit next year.

Dr Hudson said: “2021 will put the UK at the centre of the world stage as we host this major international climate change summit in Glasgow.

"It is vital that the government not only works to encourage greater international action on climate change, but demonstrates true leadership by being as ambitious as possible at home."

The group of MPs has also asked the government to engage with the public on climate action through national events, as well as to set a more ambitious national climate target for 2030.

He added: "Faster reductions in emissions will spur more investment in the clean technologies of the future and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs across the country.

"I know that climate change is a serious concern for many of my constituents in Penrith and the Border, which is why I’ve urged the Government to ensure that local residents can be part of a national conversation on climate change next year."