Cop26 will be whitest and most privileged ever, warn campaigners

Thousands from frontline communities in global south have been excluded, activists claim

The global climate summit in Glasgow will be the whitest and most privileged ever, according to campaigners, who warn that thousands of people from frontline communities in the global south have been excluded.

World leaders and delegates are expected to be joined by celebrities, corporate chief executives and royals at the critical two-week event.

an underlying hostile attitude" from the UK Home Office towards those travelling from countries in the global south, particularly Africa, which has led to many visas being refused;

a failure to honour a pledge to offer Covid vaccines to all delegates, leaving many to search for vaccines in countries with little or no access;

constantly changing Covid restrictions for those entering the UK, with travel banned from countries on the UK's red list, which, until this month, included many of the countries worst hit by the climate crisis. This has left many to seek costly and complicated routes to Glasgow via third countries;

an accommodation crisis in the city that has made finding a safe place to stay difficult and expensive. Campaigners have set up a homestay network" to try to link people up with spare rooms, but say they have thousands on their waiting list