Tory MP Chris Skidmore has said he will resign the Conservative whip and stand down as an MP “as soon as possible” as he blasted Rishi Sunak’s record on climate change.
The former energy minister triggers a by-election for his Kingswood seat in Gloucestershire as he quit in protest at plans to issue more oil and gas licences,
Skidmore, who led the government’s net zero review, argued new legislation called the offshore petroleum licensing bill “would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea”.
He was not planning to stand as an MP in the next election, expected later this year, as his constituency will be abolished under boundary changes.
“I can no longer stand by,” he said on X. “The climate crisis that we face is too important to politicise or to ignore.”
He added: “I can also no longer condone nor continue to support a government that is committed to a course of action that I know is wrong and will cause future harm. 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.”
Skidmore continued: “The climate crisis that we face is too important to politicise or to ignore. We all have a responsibility to act when and where we can to protect the future: I look forward to devoting my time in 2024 and beyond to making the future a better place, in whatever capacity I can.”
A Tory party source said: “Self-regarding claptrap from a man more interested in burnishing his credentials as an eco-lobbyist than his constituents.”