Alok Sharma, the former Business and Energy secretary and ex-COP26 chair, has stated that he will not be endorsing Rishi Sunak‘s oil and gas bill.
The bill, scheduled for parliamentary debate on Monday, proposes an annual licensing regime for oil and gas exploration contracts.
Its introduction has sparked controversy within the green faction of the Conservative party, with former minister Chris Skidmore announcing his resignation as an MP in response to the proposed legislation.
Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West and President of the COP26 Glasgow climate summit in 2021, voiced his reservations on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Mr Sharma said: “I will not be voting for this bill.
“As it is currently drafted, this bill is a total distraction… it is a smoke and mirrors bill which, frankly, changes nothing.”
Alok Sharma added: “We saw this last autumn with the chopping and changing of some policies and actually not being serious about our international commitments. Just a few weeks ago at COP28 the UK Government signed up to transition away from fossil fuels.
“This bill is actually about doubling down on new oil and gas licences. It is actually the opposite of what we agreed to do internationally, so I won’t be supporting it.”
Energy Live News has contacted the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for comment.
