Boris Johnson to hold press conference at 4.30pm TONIGHT

BORIS Johnson will hold a press conference from Glasgow tonight as he faces a whirlwind of Tory sleaze allegations.

The PM will update the nation after dashing back up to Scotland for the final few days of the COP26 climate summit.

PABoris Johnson will hold a 4.30pm press conference tonight[/caption]

He will look to bang heads together and urge world leaders to sign up to even more ambitious climate aims.

But his 4.30pm press conference is likely to be dominated by the furore over Tory sleaze and MPs’ second jobs.

Boris is set to face difficult questions about ex attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox voting from the British Virgin Islands.

He also faces being pressed on the fact he has refused to personally apologise for his handling of the Owen Paterson case.

Tory vice-chairman Andrew Bowie has reportedly resigned because he’s no longer prepared to defend the Government.

The PM was last night accused of fleeing his Tory party sleaze woes by bolting back to the COP26 summit.

His dodge came hours after he was branded chicken on Monday for swerving a Commons showdown.

Last night, the PM canned plans for a Cabinet away day tomorrow at his country retreat of Chequers and will instead host an emergency Downing Street get-together.

Mr Johnson had been expected to return to Scotland this weekend for the end of the climate talks. But he was set to arrive there this morning — this time taking the train after a row about his use of a private jet last week.

The moves come after he tried to rip up the current parliamentary standards system to block the suspension of pal Owen Paterson over a lobbying scandal.

No10 then oversaw a U-turn amid the resulting fury, and Mr Paterson quit as an MP.

A senior Tory MP told The Sun: “It must be bad when the PM sees Scotland as safer than Downing Street.”

With a climate deal hanging in the balance, Mr Johnson will ask world powers to set aside differences and turn vague promises into action.

Huge sticking points remain on a timeline for slashing emissions. One source warned: “We’re in for a fight.” The PM said: “Negotiating teams are doing the hard yards in these final days of COP26.”

Saudi Arabia, China and India were accused of “naked and cynical attempts” to water down messages about humanity’s impact on the planet, fossil fuels, and greenhouse gases driving global warming.

Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International raged: “No country is immune to the catastrophic threat of rising temperatures, Saudi Arabia included, while the Gulf region is rich in renewable energy potential.”

Meanwhile, ministers confirmed they would ban all new petrol and diesel lorries being sold in the UK by 2040. Some 24 countries have joined the move to insist on hydrogen or electric powered trucks instead.

A spokesperson said: No10: “The Prime Minister is going up to meet negotiators, to get an update on progress in the talks and encourage ambitious action in the final days of the negotiations.”