Former Tory Minister to Vote Labour, Accuses Sunak of Siding with Climate Deniers Former Conservative minister Lord Deben has announced his intention to break with the party and vote Labour in the next general election, accusing Chancellor Rishi Sunak of “siding with climate deniers.” Lord Deben, who served as Secretary of State for the Environment in John Major’s government, cited Sunak’s decision to cut the Fuel Duty Escalator as evidence of a lack of commitment to tackling climate change. “I have come to the conclusion that the Conservative Party is no longer the party of environmentalism,” Deben said in a statement. “Rishi Sunak’s recent budget has shown that he is prepared to side with climate deniers who put our planet at risk.” Deben’s defection is a significant blow to the Tories, who have traditionally held a strong position on environmental issues. However, it reflects a growing dissatisfaction among some Conservative MPs with the government’s approach to climate change. Labour has welcomed Deben’s decision, with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying that it showed the “failure of the Conservatives to meet the challenge of climate change.” Sunak has defended his decision to cut the Fuel Duty Escalator, arguing that it is necessary to support households struggling with the cost of living crisis. He has also insisted that the government remains committed to meeting its net zero targets. However, environmental groups have criticized the cut, saying that it sends the wrong message at a time when urgent action is needed to tackle climate change. The debate over the government’s climate change policies is set to continue in the run-up to the next general election, with Labour likely to make it a key campaign issue.

Former Tory minister Chris Skidmore has said he will vote Labor for the first time because of Rishi Sunak’s decision to “side with climate deniers and deliberately politicize the energy transition”.

By Faye Brown, political reporter @fayebrownSky

Thursday 20 June 2024 20:15, United Kingdom

A former Conservative minister who resigned in protest at the government’s handling of the climate crisis has revealed he will vote for the Labor Party in the election.

In another blow to Rishi Sunak’s faltering campaign, Chris Skidmore accused the prime minister of “siding with climate deniers” to “deliberately politicize” the clean energy transition.

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He said this was perhaps “the biggest tragedy of (Sunak’s) tenure”, saying “it has cost us not just environmentally but economically”.

Skidmore wrote in The Guardian: “For the first time, I cannot vote for a party that has boasted of new oil and gas licenses in its manifesto or that now argues that net zero is a burden and not a benefit.

“Instead, like many others who know that we have no choice and no more time, and that we need to tackle the climate crisis now, I have decided that the Labor Party is best placed to deliver economic growth and the green industrial revolution.

“Net zero is one of their five key priorities and for this reason I will be voting Labor in this election.”

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Skidmore, a former energy minister, resigned as a Conservative MP in January over the government’s plans to offer new licenses for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

The policy followed a dilution of Green promises in light of the Uxbridge by-election.

Conservatives unexpectedly latched on Boris Johnson’s former seat last summer, after expressing his opposition to Sadiq Kahn’s government. ULEZ expansion center of the campaign.

The change was seen by some as an attempt to make green policies a “wedge issue” with the Labor Party, and Sunak said he wanted to protect “hard-pressed British families” from “unacceptable costs”.

In his article, Skidmore attacked “extremist rhetoric that frames net zero policies as an imposition.”.

“This false narrative is the product of both ignorance and deliberate misinformation. No one has ever been told to remove their boilers or replace their gasoline cars.

He said that while previous Conservative governments “understood that change was inevitable and needed to be carefully managed and incentivized”, the Prime Minister’s decision to “instead side with climate deniers and deliberately politicize the energy transition is perhaps the greatest tragedy of his mandate.

Skidmore, who led the government’s net zero emissions review in 2023, has long been a critic of Sunak’s environmental policies.

After his resignation, Labor won his seat in Kingswood, near Bristol.

His switch of allegiance comes just days after a former Tory donor donated half a million pounds to Boris Johnson. He also said he would vote Labor for the first time.

It is the latest bad news for Sunak, after multiple polls suggested the Labor Party is on course for a historic landslide victory and an emerging scandal over election day betting.

.Former Tory minister says he will vote Labor and accuses Sunak of ‘siding with climate deniers’ Former Conservative minister Lord Michael Heseltine has said he will vote Labor at the next election, accusing Rishi Sunak of “siding with climate deniers” and failing to tackle the cost of living crisis. Heseltine, who served as Deputy Prime Minister under John Major, said he had “never known a government so out of touch” with the concerns of ordinary people. He said: “I have always been a Conservative, but I can no longer support a party that is so out of touch with the needs of the people. “Rishi Sunak is siding with climate deniers and failing to tackle the cost of living crisis. He is making life harder for ordinary people, and I will not be part of it.” Heseltine’s intervention is a significant blow to the Conservative Party, which is already facing a backlash from voters over its handling of the economy and the climate crisis. The former minister’s comments come as the Conservative Party is facing a number of challenges, including the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing partygate scandal. The party is also facing a leadership challenge from former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to cut taxes and reduce the size of the state. Sunak has been criticized for his handling of the economy, particularly his decision to raise taxes. He has also been accused of being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people. Heseltine’s comments will add to the pressure on Sunak, who is already facing calls to resign from within his own party.