Key events
Theresa May says she takes ‘a different view from the government’ on oil and gas licences
Good morning. It’s environment day on the No 10 grid and, ahead of the Cop28 summit starting in Dubai later this week, Rishi Sunak is announcing some green initiatives. As Helena Horton reports, they include plans to designate a new national park. And, in an article for the Daily Telegraph, Sunak says he will stop councils cutting down trees without consulting residents properly.
But, on net zero, Sunak has been strongly criticised by Theresa May, the former prime minister. As PM May legislated to put the 2050 net zero target into law and, speaking to the Times, she said she was opposed to the plan in the king’s speech to legislate to ensure new North Sea oil and gas licences are issued every year. Sunak has said he wants to “max out” these resources. But May said:
I take a different view from the government on the oil and gas licences. This is about [a] phase-out and, ultimately, that is what it has to be about in terms of fossil fuels …
Obviously, energy security for us is important but … new oil and gas licences only provide for energy security if all that energy is sold into the UK and, actually, it will be sold on the world market, so I think there are some questions around that.
No 10 may want it to be environment day, but at PMQs other issues are likely to dominate. The gap between what Tory backbenchers want Sunak to do about cutting immigration, and what he seems likely to announce, seems to be growing bigger by the day, and this row will bound to come up. And Sunak is still facing widespread criticism over his decision to snub the Greek PM.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: David Cameron, the foreign secretary, is at the Nato-Ukraine council in Brussels.
9.30am: Sir Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office, gives evidence to the Commons home affairs committee.
10am: Prof Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, resumes giving evidence to the Covid inquiry. Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, is also due to give evidence in the morning.
10am: The OECD publishes its latest economic forecasts.
Noon: Rishi Sunak faces Keir Starmer at PMQs.
2pm: Dominic Raab, the former deputy PM, gives evidence to the Covid inquiry.
2.15pm: Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the autumn statement.
Also today Steve Barclay, the environment secretary, is announcing plans to designate a new national park, as part of the government’s response to the Glover review of national parks.
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