Just over a hundred days ago, I took the difficult personal decision to resign as a member of parliament, in protest at the second reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill in parliament. As the former energy minister responsible for signing the UK’s commitment to net zero into law, this legislation allowing for annual new oil and gas licensing rounds was not only a step too far, it was a leap away from the commitments and leadership that the UK had previously been proud to represent.
We have de-aligned ourselves with the UN Conference of Parties, the International Energy Agency and the government’s own independent Climate Change Committee. We should recognise that while we still need oil and gas to 2050, any new, additional oil and gas would go against any future net zero commitment. It was because of this that I came to the conclusion that I could no longer support a government I had been a part of for 14 years. As I stated in my resignation letter, matters had reached a point where to stay would have meant I condoned the actions of a government I represented.
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