Saturday, January 06, 2024
Sunak comes up against a principled Tory
It is not commonplace for Tory MPs to put their principles before career, but kudos to Chris Skidmore, the former net zero tsar and former energy minister, who has said he will resign the Conservative whip and stand down as an MP next week in protest over the PM’s climate failures.
The Independent reports that in a scathing exit statement Skidmore said he could no longer continue as a Tory or “condone” the government because the PM’s environmental stance is “wrong and will cause future harm”:
Sunak’s proposed energy bill – to be introduced in the Commons next week – will allow new fossil fuel extraction licences in the North Sea.
The bill would mandate that licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea are awarded annually, and was seen as a challenge to Labour, which said it would ban new exploration licences to focus on renewables.
In a statement posted on X Mr Skidmore said: “As the former energy minister who signed the UK’s net zero commitment by 2050 into law, I cannot vote for a bill that clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas.
“To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained. I am therefore resigning my party whip and instead intend to be free from any party-political allegiance.”
Labour’s campaign leader Pat McFadden said Mr Skidmore’s exit showed that Mr Sunak was “too weak” to lead his party or the country for much longer. The Lib Dems called his exit an “embarrassing mess” which showed a government in chaos.
The PM was heavily criticised by campaigners, opponents and green Tories over his July announcement of around 100 new oil and gas licences. Mr Skidmore said the move was the “wrong decision at precisely the wrong time”.
Mr Sunak also faced a backlash from Tory environmentalists after backtracking on more key government climate pledges to reach net zero in September.
In the wake of a surprise by-election victory in Uxbridge over the London mayor’s Ulez charging scheme, the Tory leader also attacked climate “zealots” and said he was on the side of motorists.
The PM then announced that the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars – and gas boilers – would be pushed back to 2035.
Former minister Zac Goldsmith – who quit in June with a swipe at Mr Sunak’s “apathy” toward climate change – said the moves were reprehensible and had “destroyed UK credibility on climate change”.
Boris Johnson also condemned his successor – warning that Mr Sunak was in danger of losing “ambition for this country”, and arguing that businesses were desperate for clear net zero commitments.
Mr Sunak was also accused of “shrinking and retreating” on the climate crisis at the Cop28 summit, as he was condemned for spending more time flying to Dubai than at the conference itself.
Labour, who are also scaling back their commitment to tackling climate change, should take note.
The Independent reports that in a scathing exit statement Skidmore said he could no longer continue as a Tory or “condone” the government because the PM’s environmental stance is “wrong and will cause future harm”:
Sunak’s proposed energy bill – to be introduced in the Commons next week – will allow new fossil fuel extraction licences in the North Sea.
The bill would mandate that licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea are awarded annually, and was seen as a challenge to Labour, which said it would ban new exploration licences to focus on renewables.
In a statement posted on X Mr Skidmore said: “As the former energy minister who signed the UK’s net zero commitment by 2050 into law, I cannot vote for a bill that clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas.
“To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained. I am therefore resigning my party whip and instead intend to be free from any party-political allegiance.”
Labour’s campaign leader Pat McFadden said Mr Skidmore’s exit showed that Mr Sunak was “too weak” to lead his party or the country for much longer. The Lib Dems called his exit an “embarrassing mess” which showed a government in chaos.
The PM was heavily criticised by campaigners, opponents and green Tories over his July announcement of around 100 new oil and gas licences. Mr Skidmore said the move was the “wrong decision at precisely the wrong time”.
Mr Sunak also faced a backlash from Tory environmentalists after backtracking on more key government climate pledges to reach net zero in September.
In the wake of a surprise by-election victory in Uxbridge over the London mayor’s Ulez charging scheme, the Tory leader also attacked climate “zealots” and said he was on the side of motorists.
The PM then announced that the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars – and gas boilers – would be pushed back to 2035.
Former minister Zac Goldsmith – who quit in June with a swipe at Mr Sunak’s “apathy” toward climate change – said the moves were reprehensible and had “destroyed UK credibility on climate change”.
Boris Johnson also condemned his successor – warning that Mr Sunak was in danger of losing “ambition for this country”, and arguing that businesses were desperate for clear net zero commitments.
Mr Sunak was also accused of “shrinking and retreating” on the climate crisis at the Cop28 summit, as he was condemned for spending more time flying to Dubai than at the conference itself.
Labour, who are also scaling back their commitment to tackling climate change, should take note.
