This letter was sent by the Conservative Environment Network Parliament Caucus to the Daily Telegraph today, condemning the divisive and destructive Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion protests.
Sir,
The Just Stop Oil protests serve only to wreak havoc across Britain and disrupt people’s lives. Far from helping protect our environment, these extreme methods, divisive tactics and false claims jeopardise public support for real action to combat climate change.
We condemn the irresponsible and destructive protests, which hurt those who can least afford their cost. As with all Extinction Rebellion protests, closing roads and bridges, blocking emergency service vehicles and stopping people from travelling to work, school and hospital will not help to cut emissions.
As members of the Conservative Environment Network, we will not allow the protesters to dominate the debate. We know much more must be done to tackle climate change, but to decarbonise our economy we must unite Britain with a credible, deliverable and affordable plan to achieve net zero by 2050.
Calls to stop oil and gas overnight are naive and dangerous. We need an orderly transition, not an economic shutdown. Instead of XR’s wrecking ball, we need a green industrial revolution to protect our planet and build a more prosperous Britain.
This Government’s Net Zero Strategy reflects the speed and the scale of change required to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. It sets out a path to deliver skilled jobs and new clean industries, levelling up communities across the country.
Rather than senseless acts of disruption, this conservative approach holds the key to success in the fight against climate change.
Nickie Aiken MP Caroline Ansell MP Peter Aldous MP Baroness Altmann Siobhan Baillie MP Harriett Baldwin MP Sir Peter Bottomley MP Anthony Browne MP Elliot Colburn MP Philip Dunne MP Ruth Edwards MP Laura Farris MP Simon Fell MP Anna Firth MP Nick Fletcher MP Louie French MP Sir Roger Gale MP Jo Gideon MP Richard Graham MP Damian Green MP Sally-Ann Hart MP Stephen Hammond MP Sir Oliver Heald MP Kevin Hollinrake MP Sir Bernard Jenkin MP Mark Jenkinson MP Fay Jones MP Alicia Kearns MP Robert Largan MP Pauline Latham MP Mark Logan MP Tim Loughton MP Cherilyn Mackrory MP Jerome Mayhew MP Jason McCartney MP Andrew Selous MP Chris Skidmore MP David Simmonds MP Henry Smith MP Derek Thomas MP Theresa Villiers MP