Sharma vows to rebel over Sunak's North Sea oil and gas legislation

Alok Sharma did not specify whether he would abstain or vote against the offshore oil licensing bill. Photo: Yui Mok/PA

Sir Alok Sharma has vowed to rebel against the government in a vote on North Sea oil and gas expansion plans.

Former Cop26 president speaks out against 'smoke and mirrors' legislation aimed at to promote new drilling licenses. , arguing it would add to the «worrying perception» that the UK is «backsliding on climate action».

Tory concerns about the proposals are growing after Chris Skidmore, the former energy secretary, said he was resigning as an MP in protest.

He said he would «judge the future harshly» anyone who supports the offshore oil licensing bill. If passed, it would introduce annual licensing rounds to increase oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

The vote was due to take place on Monday evening but was delayed after other issues, including a claim about the Horizon Post Office scandal, were ignored. MPs were told it would be considered within the next two weeks.

Mr Skidmore formally resigned on Monday, writing to the Chancellor asking him to take over the management of either the Chiltern Hundreds or the Northcliffe estate — archaic procedure for MPs to resign.

In his letter, he condemned the legislation, saying it “achieves so little and does so much to destroy the UK's reputation as a climate leader.”

“The choice we face is whether to invest in the industries of the future or be tied to the industries of the past,” he said.

“No one has ever denied that we will not need the oil and gas we use today, but the desire to discover new sources of fossil fuels in the future, which will be sold on international markets and owned by foreign companies, will achieve nothing . for our energy security.»

Sir Alok, who chaired the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, said the legislation «frankly doesn't change anything» because the North Sea Transition Authority «can already issue licenses when they deem it necessary». is necessary.»

But he said it was still damaging because it reinforced the «unfortunate perception that the UK is abandoning action on climate change» and so he would not vote for it. He did not specify whether he would abstain or vote against.

Sir Alok also accused the government of «changing and abrupt changes» in climate policy, saying it is not serious about meeting its international obligations.

He told the BBC: “This is really a smoke and mirrors Bill which, frankly, doesn't change anything. The North Sea Transition Authority, which actually issues oil and gas licenses, can already issue licenses when it considers it necessary, and the Department of Energy has made it pretty clear that that won't change for this bill.

“ But this bill does reinforce that sad view that the UK is giving up on tackling climate change. We saw this last fall when some policies were changed and actually weren't serious about fulfilling our international obligations.

“Just a few weeks ago at Cop28… the UK government signed a deal to divest from fossil fuels. This bill concerns increasing the number of oil and gas production licenses. It's actually the opposite of what we agreed to do internationally, so I won't support it.»

Sir Keir Starmer also spoke about this. the plans have been branded a «waste of time» as Labor is set to vote against the legislation on Monday. If the bill passes, the party intends to repeal or repeal the relevant provisions if it wins the next general election, making them obsolete.

The Labor leader told broadcasters: “It won't make any difference. Zero impact on energy bills. It is not me who is saying this, it is government ministers or former government ministers who are saying this. They described it as smoke and mirrors.

«You have a government that is wasting its time trying to pass legislation to create a dividing line with Labor rather than solving the problem.»

When asked whether Mr Sunak agreed with Sir Alok, the official representative of the Prime Minister, who said: “No, we need oil and gas for decades to come.”

“Even when we reach net zero in 2050, there is data from the Independent Committee on Climate Change that shows this. So the government believes it is common sense to make the most of what we can produce here, rather than supplying more fuel from higher-emitting foreign regimes.»

Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environmental Network, also stressed that the transition to net zero will require oil and gas, albeit in “diminishing quantities.”

But he said the «energy security and long-term economic benefits» of the legislation «should not be overstated» given price volatility in international fossil fuel markets and the fact that North Sea reserves are «in terminal decline.»

“Insulating more homes will have an even greater impact on reducing gas imports than new licenses, so the government should introduce tax breaks to encourage more homeowners and landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.”< /p>

The government says the legislation is needed to improve domestic energy security and ensure a smooth transition to clean energy.

His net-zero promises have already sparked controversy among MPs, including Rishi. Previously, Sunak faced a major rebellion by MPs opposing quotas on the sale of electric vehicles.