Climate protesters from Greenpeace draped the home of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in northern England in black cloth on Thursday morning in protest against his recent backing for an expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling.
Four Greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of Sunak’s sprawling constituency home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, to unfold 200 square metres of "oil-black fabric" to cover one side of the mansion. Two other activists unfurled a banner emblazoned with the words “Rishi Sunak – Oil Profits or Our Future?” on the grass in front of the home.
"Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling,” said Philip Evans, Greenpeace UK’s climate campaigner.
"The experts are clear – we can't afford any new oil and gas, and the fossil fuel industry certainly doesn't need another helping hand in destroying the climate. What we need is a clean, affordable energy system fit for the 21st century. It’s time for Sunak to choose between Big Oil’s profits or our future on a habitable planet,” he said.
Sunak, along with wife Akshata Murty and daughters Krishna and Anoushka are currently away on a week-long holiday in California. The local North Yorkshire Police issued a statement to say that its officers had responded to the protest activity at the Prime Minister’s home in Kirby Sigston.
"Officers have contained the area and no one has entered the building. The PM and his family are not at home,” the police said.
Asked about the incident, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden told the BBC he thought the British people were "sick of these stupid stunts".
Earlier this week, Sunak had unveiled government plans to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licences as part of a drive to make Britain more energy independent.
"We have all witnessed how (Russian President) Putin has manipulated and weaponised energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world. Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses,” Sunak said on Monday.
"Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home. We’re choosing to power up Britain from Britain and invest in crucial industries such as carbon capture and storage, rather than depend on more carbon intensive gas imports from overseas – which will support thousands of skilled jobs, unlock further opportunities for green technologies and grow the economy,” he said.
During a radio show on Wednesday before setting off on holiday, the British Indian leader again defended his plans to say fossil fuels would still be needed as part of the country’s energy mix in future.
"Like most people, they're not eco zealots, they're open to sensible, practical arguments," he said, when asked what his environmentalist daughters make of his plans.
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