Jetten delays climate summit trip until tax plan vote

Prime Minister Rob Jetten is not travelling to the climate summit in the Turkish resort of Antalya, for now. He had been due to leave on Wednesday. The Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, the government information service, says he will stay in the Netherlands “at least until Thursday afternoon to make sure the tax plan finds support”.

Jetten's spokesperson said on Monday that the prime minister is staying for the negotiations on the tax plan. The House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) will vote on the plan on Thursday.

This week, the party leaders of D66, VVD and CDA are seeking support for the tax plan.

Stientje van Veldhoven (D66), the Minister of Climate and Green Growth, is going to Antalya. Jetten, who leads D66, would have attended his first climate summit as prime minister. He has been to the annual conference before, as climate minister.

Other government leaders are due at the summit to share their climate plans and talk about global climate policy. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also staying away.

Jetten was once accused of being a “klimaatdrammer”, a climate nag. He later adopted the label himself as a badge of honour.