Boris Johnson has axed the president of the major climate summit which the UK is hosting later this year.
Claire O'Neill - previously known as Claire Perry - said she was "very sad" the job she was given in July 2019 ahead of the Cop26 talks had been "rescinded" by the Prime Minister.
The former energy minister served in the Theresa May government from June 2017 until July last year.
She said the explanation she was given was that Whitehall could not cope with an independent unit dealing with the summit.
"A shame we haven't had one Climate cabinet meeting since we formed," she added.
"Wishing the cop team every blessing in the climate recovery emergency."
A Cabinet Office statement said: "Claire Perry O'Neill will no longer be UK Cop26 president.
"The Prime Minister is grateful to Claire for her work preparing for what will be a very successful and ambitious climate change summit in Glasgow in November.
"Preparations will continue at pace for the summit, and a replacement will be confirmed shortly.
"Going forward, this will be a ministerial role."
A source in the Government’s COP26 unit said: “Claire has seriously underperformed, including at Davos and on a recent ministerial visit to India. She had said ‘the Paris agreement is dead’ in key meetings to the surprise of everyone.
“She didn’t seem to get that this is a diplomatic job. The senior team of officials in the unit couldn’t work with her and her erratic behaviour and poor performance has spooked key stakeholders in the UK and internationally. She had to go. The PM now needs to show he is taking this seriously by appointing a heavy-hitting minister.”
The November summit in Glasgow is seen as the most crucial round of UN climate negotiations since the Paris Agreement was created in the French capital in 2015.
Greenpeace UK's chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said: "As the host of the next UN climate summit, the UK Government has a tremendous responsibility to make sure progress will be made.
"This wobble just months before the event risks sending completely the wrong signal.
"It's vital now that the next COP26 president be quick to pick up the baton and run the anchor leg."
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