Chris Skidmore: By-election looms as Tory MP formally resigns over oil and gas bill

Former minister Chris Skidmore has formally submitted his resignation as an MP in protest over plans to “prioritise and politicise new oil and gas licences”, triggering a by-election in his Kingswood constituency.

The Conservative MP had announced his resignation in a lengthy statement posted on X last Friday (January 5). He said: “Next week the Government will be introducing the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill in the House of Commons.

“This Bill would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea. It is a Bill that I have already stated my opposition to, by not voting in the King’s Speech debate in protest at the Bill’s inclusion in the Government’s legislative programme.

“As the former energy minister who signed the UK’s net zero commitment by 2050 into law, I cannot vote for a Bill that clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas.“ He added: "To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained. I am therefore resigning my party whip and instead intend to be free from any party-political allegiance.”

The MP for Kingswood, in Gloucestershire, added that his decision to resign the whip meant his constituents “deserve the right to elect a new Member of Parliament”. He said: “I therefore will be standing down from Parliament as soon as possible.”

MPs are set to vote on the government's Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which introduces annual licensing rounds for North Sea oil and gas exploration, for the first time on Monday (January 8).

Criticism has been directed at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from environmental advocates, including some within his own party, over the past few months. Sunak has expressed a desire to maximise the extraction of fossil fuels in the North Sea, while simultaneously diluting crucial climate targets related to electric vehicles and home heating.

Despite these concerns, the UK said it remains committed to achieving a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. The country was also part of the formal coalition advocating for a complete "phase out" of fossil fuels at the recent UN climate summit, COP28, held in the UAE.

But Mr Skidmore said the bill "achieves nothing apart from to send a global signal that the UK is rowing ever further back from its climate commitments." He said: "We cannot expect other countries to phase out their fossil fuels when at the same time we continue to issue new licences or to open new oil fields.

"It is a tragedy that the UK has been allowed to lose its climate leadership, at a time when our businesses, industries, universities, and civil society organisations are providing first class leadership and expertise to so many across the world, inspiring change for the better.

"I cannot vote for the bill next week. The future will judge harshly those that do. At a time when we should be committing to more climate action, we simply do not have any more time to waste promoting the future production of fossil fuels that is the ultimate cause of the environmenal crisis that we are facing."