The race to exchange Boris Johnson as UK prime minister has begun, with Suella Braverman and Steve Baker asserting their intention to run. They might be joined by Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and others, however the place do the hopefuls stand on science?
Society
7 July 2022
, up to date 7 July 2022
UK prime minister Boris Johnson introduced his resignation outdoors 10 Downing Avenue on 7 July James Veysey/Shutterstock
Following Boris Johnson’s resignation as chief of the Conservative occasion, consideration is popping to who will change him and turn into the UK’s subsequent prime minister. Solely two Tory MPs have signalled they’ll run for the management, Suella Braverman and Steve Baker, however a number of others are anticipated to throw their hat within the ring in what might be a really broadly contested race. So the place do a number of the potential new leaders stand on local weather change, nature and science?
Suella Braverman
The legal professional common has written that “local weather change is likely one of the most severe threats that this nation and the world faces”. She has additionally run seaside clean-up campaigns. Nonetheless, she has by no means tweeted about local weather change or nature, and solely as soon as about science throughout a go to to a faculty.
Steve Baker
The MP for Wycombe is the “anti-green” candidate. Baker has mentioned he would finish the push for wind and solar energy and again shale fuel extraction. He instructed The Guardian he would finish a reform of farming subsidies that may reward farmers primarily based on offering “public items” equivalent to bettering biodiversity, and warned “we’re in danger from excessive inexperienced insurance policies”.
Michael Gove
Gove, who was fired by Johnson from his cupboard place on 6 July for “disloyalty”, has the obvious inexperienced credentials of the attainable candidates. As setting secretary between 2017 and 2019 he led high-profile bulletins on subjects from banning gross sales of recent petrol and diesel vehicles to motion on plastic air pollution. He was broadly seen as having elevated the normally sleepy Division for Setting, Meals and Rural Affairs to a lot larger prominence. Gove additionally promised a “inexperienced Brexit”, although some argue he has failed to attain that.
Rishi Sunak
Sunak resigned his place as chancellor on 5 July, beginning a wave of resignations in protest towards Johnson. As chancellor, he set a goal of analysis and innovation spending reaching 2.4 per cent of the UK’s GDP. He additionally dedicated £800 million of funding for a brand new “excessive danger” analysis company, ARIA. His funds speeches have given comparatively little focus to local weather change, although he gave a speech on the COP26 local weather summit and oversaw publication of the Treasury’s internet zero overview final 12 months.
Liz Truss
As setting secretary from 2014 to 2016, Truss criticised solar energy on agricultural land as harming meals safety, a declare that wasn’t backed up with proof. In her present function as overseas secretary, she was not too long ago reported to have ordered overseas workplace officers to focus worldwide assist on women and girls moderately than local weather change. She has been a distinguished advocate for UK farming. Disagreement between Truss and the European Union over the standing of Northern Eire following Brexit has hampered the UK and EU’s skill to achieve a deal on the Horizon science analysis programme, a serious funding scheme that the UK had hoped to stay a part of.
Jeremy Hunt
Hunt recently criticised the federal government’s approval of an onshore oil and fuel mission in his Surrey constituency, describing it as creating “huge disruption and environmental harm for little if any financial profit”. He has additionally burnished his inexperienced credentials by becoming a member of a gaggle known as the Conservative Setting Community, and has introduced motion on local weather change as an financial in addition to ethical crucial. Throughout his 2019 marketing campaign for the Tory management, he mentioned he would permit a free vote on lifting a ban on fox searching. The previous well being secretary has additionally criticised the federal government’s dealing with of the coronavirus pandemic.
Penny Mordaunt
The commerce minister and former defence minister was reported this 12 months to oppose an electrical energy hyperlink between the UK and France over vitality safety fears, regardless of such interconnectors normally being seen by analysts as bettering vitality safety. She has additionally been an advocate for tidal energy.
Ben Wallace
The defence secretary has said that “local weather change has far reaching penalties for world peace and safety”. He voted in favour of the 2008 Local weather Change Act, together with the overwhelming majority of MPs on the time, and has beforehand raised considerations about native impacts from the exploration of shale fuel. Usually, nonetheless, he has mentioned little or no publicly about his stance on local weather change, nature and science.
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