Boris Johnson has come under fire for not wearing a mask while sat next to Sir David Attenborough - but did he break any rules?
The PM has come under fire for the image - but did he break the rules and is there more than meets the eye?
The conference’s organisers say attendees must “wear a face covering at all times except when eating, drinking, sitting in office/meeting spaces or conducting negotiations; or if medically exempt”.
Those at the conference are allowed to remove their masks when giving speeches. But - and this relates to the photos of the PM and Sir David taken at the opening ceremony on Monday - “face coverings should be worn when sitting in theatre-style seating”.
The conference is being held in Scotland, which also has rules on wearing masks to help stop the spread of Covid. Essentially, everyone over 12 has to wear one in most indoor public places.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister told Radio 1 Newsbeat he had followed the coronavirus rules at COP26 “throughout” and that those attending “are not required to wear a face mask when they are seated”.
We’ve sent COP26’s guidance to Downing Street but haven’t yet had an updated statement.
Boris Johnson has faced backlash on social media since the photo came to light. He told CNN he’s been wearing masks in confined spaces “with people I don’t normally talk to”. “It’s up to people to take a judgement whether they’re at a reasonable distance from someone… that’s the approach we take.”
In another photo, taken in the same set of images, the PM can be seen wearing a mask while Sir David has removed his.
Downing Street says the PM’s been following the conference’s rules on stopping the spread of Covid
And in a third image, neither of them are wearing a mask. Newsbeat’s approached Sir David for a comment too.
Boris breaks the rules … of course …
