Ex-Tory Minister ‘disgusted’ at Conservative Party for ‘blatantly going against’ the UN on climate commitments

DOUGLAS, Isle of Man, April 11, 2024  -- The Conservative party is ‘playing at culture wars,’ on climate whilst rolling back critical policy commitments which he himself signed into law, former Minister Chris Skidmore declared today.

‘If you look at the decision on the row back on net zero, that's incredibly short-term thinking,’ Skidmore declared, when asked about Rishi Sunak’s ‘knee-jerk’ approach to green issues in an episode of the leading sustainability podcast Conversations on Climate released today. ‘It’s just bad economics…and blatantly going against the policies that are needed and have been set out by the UN, the Paris Agreement, and the IEA.’ 

Not my party any more

In a remarkably frank and wide-ranging interview, the former Conversative MP for Kingswood and Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth spoke at length about his disillusionment with a government in which he held a number of top positions.

‘The current iteration of the Conservative Party is not the Conservative Party I became a Member of Parliament with,’ he told host Chris Caldwell, CEO of clean energy firm United Renewables. ‘You can see a number of the difficulties it is facing because some of the MPs I simply wouldn’t recognise, back in 2010, as being Conservatives. They would have been in UKIP.’ 

Resignation clears the way to back Labour on climate policy

When asked about his resignation in January, Skidmore insisted that ‘there had been a number of signals where I voiced my disgust at the rollback on our climate commitments,’ prior to the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill. ‘I said this was going to be the biggest mistake of Rishi Sunak's premiership.’

Skidmore – who has quit politics for a Professorship at the University of Bath – was then asked by Caldwell about Labor’s future green election pledges, including the U-turn on £28 billion in clean investment spending. 

Whilst he suggested Starmer should ‘never have set out a figure,’ the former Conservative announced that ‘I still think the Labor position of having a mission-based approach to the green transformation is the right one... if we could come back to having that moratorium on new oil and gas licenses it would be really important for the future, and that's why I support the Labour position on this.’

Conversations on Climate is a United Renewables production hosting the most important voices in environmental debate today.

This episode, featuring Chris Skidmore OBE, is available now for viewing in two parts. Both episodes can be found here.

To discover more about the podcast and tune in to the latest episodes, visit the United Renewables website.

About United Renewables:

United Renewables is at the forefront of the renewable energy sector, dedicated to providing diverse green energy solutions, including solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy. The company is committed to fostering sustainable futures, reducing global carbon footprints, and empowering businesses and communities through innovation and environmental stewardship.

About the Conversations on Climate Podcast:

United Renewables' Conversations on Climate podcast, now in its third season, offers enlightening insights on climate change. The podcast combines academic knowledge with practical industry experience, covering topics from leadership to green innovations. Season 3, developed in collaboration with the London Business School Alumni Energy Club, provides a roadmap for professionals navigating the climate conundrum.

For the latest episodes and updates, subscribe to the Conversations on Climate Channel on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, and Spotify.