Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election headache after a former Conservative minister quit the Commons over the government’s green policy.
Chris Skidmore, who was energy minister under Theresa May and also in government under Boris Johnson, announced last week he would be leaving his role as an MP.
His resignation coincides with a vote in the House of Commons on the government’s plans to offer new licences for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
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Mr Sunak angered some in his party when he watered down the government’s net zero plans last year, with Mr Skidmore a vocal proponent of green energy and policies.
In his resignation letter, he said was quitting “in protest at the government’s decision to prioritise and politicise new oil and gas licences above a sensible investment plan for the future”.
He said while the government had “once led in promoting climate action” at the COP26 climate summit, it was now opposing the likes of the International Energy Agency and the UN’s climate change committee.
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“We should be taking the long-term decisions for the future of our country that protect our citizens, our economy, and our planet, not playing short-term politics with legislation that achieves so little but does so much to destroy the reputation of the UK as a climate leader,” he added.
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Mr Skidmore’s resignation means there will be a by-election in his Kingswood seat, where he has a majority of 11,220.
That margin is far smaller than in the last two by-election upsets Labour handed to the Tories, when a 24,664-vote majority was overturned in Mid Bedfordshire and 19,634 in Tamworth.
Mr Sunak already faces having to defend Wellingborough after constituents ousted scandal-hit Peter Bone.
Mr Skidmore is not the only Conservative MP to signal his unhappiness with the new oil and gas drilling.
Alok Sharma, who was president for the UN’s COP26 climate conference in the UK, has said he will not support the bill – although this may mean he abstains rather than opposes it.
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The vote is on the second reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill – this is the first time the potential law is voted on, but it is still a long way from becoming law.
MPs and peers will still be able to amend it, and the House of Lords and Commons will also have further votes.
