Greenpeace activists on the roof of Rishi Sunak's home in Richmond, North Yorkshire after covering it with black cloth to protest his support for expansion drilling oil and gas wells in the North Sea. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA.
The Environment Minister ended all collaboration between her department and Greenpeace after activists staged a stunt at Rishi Sunak's home when it was revealed the two ministers had met with representatives of the charity last year.
Teresa Coffey ordered officials to cancel any scheduled meetings with the pressure group on Friday after activists provoked a furious backlash by targeting the prime minister's home while he was on vacation with his family.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero also received strict orders from Grant Shapps, Secretary of State, not to meet with the organization, although those instructions are believed to have been in place prior to the incident at Mr. Sunak's property.
As The Telegraph knows, the Environment Minister had no specific meetings scheduled with the charity when it demanded that its staff cut off contact.
The two ministers held talks with Greenpeace
However, government transparency data shows that two ministers at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have been in talks with Greenpeace since last summer. Officials are also known to have met with representatives of the charity from time to time.
Lord Benyon, Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs, met with representatives of the British arm of Greenpeace in February, along with other environmental groups, to discuss “ industry views on fisheries and the marine environment.”
Lord Goldsmith also met with the campaign team when he was Minister for Defra in August 2022 and left the position a month later.
The talks were part of a briefing with interested non-governmental organizations on «marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction,» according to transparency papers.
This came after activists climbed onto the prime minister's mansion on Thursday, listed as a Grade II listed building in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, and covered in black cloth to protest his plan to issue new North Sea drilling licences.
The stunt caused a security scandal and led to accusations that Greenpeace was imitating the tactics of other groups such as Just Stop oil. and Extinction Rebellion.
The protesters, who carried large ladders and climbing equipment, entered the property at about 6 am, but it was not until two hours later that North Yorkshire Police were alerted to the incident. situation.
By the time they arrived, some of the activists managed to climb onto the roof and remained there until 13:00, after which they themselves went down and were arrested.
“Threat levels must always be controlled”
Peter Walker, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police for North Yorkshire , said it was deeply troubling given that the perpetrators could have been the terrorists who planted the bomb.
Dame Priti Patel, the former home secretary, said lessons needed to be learned. from the incident.
“I think that the Home Office should analyze what happened and learn from it, as the level of threat to ministers and MPs is constantly changing and should always be under control,” she told The Telegraph.
She added, that there should be «full plans» to protect democratically elected representatives as the country approaches the general election period, along with «proper protocols for accountable police.»
The Cabinet Minister, concerned about the demonstration outside the Prime Minister's house, also advocates a review of how such incidents are handled. about the stunt.
Nadhim Zahavi, a former cabinet minister, said the event raised «serious concerns» about the safety of MPs.
«Let's be clear — the target is a private home for any person deserving of contempt,” he said.
“This raises serious concerns not only for the safety of the current elected representatives, but also for the future of our country, if such antics discourage the best people from running for office.
“The tactics of these groups are becoming increasingly unacceptable for over the last few years, the government has quite rightly refused to pander to them and cracked down on behavior that undermines the rule of law.”
One MP, who requested anonymity, told The Telegraph that they had been attacked three times since December.
p> «Greenpeace is not a serious organization»
A Defra source said: «Greenpeace has shown that they are not a serious organization and we are not going to treat them this way.»
«This prime minister has done more for the environment than all these activists put together.
In response, Will McCallum, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: «It's not about how the government interacts with Greenpeace, it's about how it interacts with the outside world.»
He added: “If the Conservatives want to avoid losing their vote in the next election, they need to listen to the public, which wants strong action on climate, nature, wastewater and pollution.
“The actions we took yesterday were completely peaceful. We've been diligent about security and made sure no one was home.»
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: «All five suspects arrested after the Kirby Sigston protest on 3 August have been arrested. released on conditional police bail for further investigation. The investigation is ongoing.”
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