Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says the previous internet zero chief is “wrong” after he give up the Tory celebration in protest of the federal government’s resolution to ramp up oil and gasoline drilling.
Chris Skidmore resigned as an MP on Friday, accusing the federal government of “rowing ever further back from its climate commitments”.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Hunt – who praised Mr Skidmore’s work as power minister on local weather change – mentioned he “profoundly” disagrees along with his cause for stepping down.
“The point is, I think he is wrong on North Sea oil and gas,” he informed the BBC.
“When you have the problems in the Red Sea [with shipping routes under attack], it is very important for energy security that we have domestic sources of that kind of energy as we go into transition.”
It comes forward of a vote in parliament on Monday on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which, if handed, would mandate that licences for oil and gasoline initiatives within the North Sea are awarded yearly.
Mr Skidmore mentioned he couldn’t vote for laws that “clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas”.
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“To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained,” he mentioned in his resignation assertion.
But Mr Hunt mentioned the impartial panel for local weather change state the UK will nonetheless get a “significant proportion” of power from fossil fuels “even when we reach net zero in 2050”.
“And domestic oil and gas is four times cleaner than imported oil and gas,” he added.
Mr Skidmore’s resolution leaves Prime Minister Rishi Sunak going through two difficult by-elections in early 2024, with one other already in movement after voters final month ousted scandal-hit Peter Bone in Wellingborough.
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Kingswood, in South Gloucestershire, had been held by Mr Skidmore since 2010, after beating second-placed Labour by 11,220 votes on the final basic election in 2019.
But that margin is way smaller than within the final two by-election defeats Labour handed to the Tories, with a majority of greater than 24,000 overturned in Mid Bedfordshire and greater than 19,000 in Tamworth.
Labour says it should vote towards Monday’s oil and gasoline laws and has challenged Mr Sunak to name a basic election somewhat than endure extra by-elections.
The prime minister has indicated the nation will go to the polls within the second half of 2024.
Source: information.sky.com”