Former UK minister resigns from parliament after criticizing government's environmental policy Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain's former mines and energy minister said on Friday he was leaving the ruling Conservative Party and resigning his seat in parliament over the government's environmental policy, criticizing plans to grant more licenses for exploration in the North Sea. Chris Skidmore's resignation would force a special election to replace him, which would be of great interest ahead of the national elections Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to call in the second half of 2024.

The MP's decision is also a headache for the Prime Minister, who is trying to reduce the double-digit lead of the opposition Labor Party over the ruling Conservative Party in the election.

Sunak was accused by his critics of making light of Britain's commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, although he said the UK would remain on track to achieve that target by 2050. The government wants to pass a new law that guarantees annual cycles. Oil and natural gas exploration licenses in the North Sea. Skidmore said that as the minister who signed the Zero Emissions Act into law in 2019, he could not vote in favor of a plan to encourage oil and natural gas exploration. “The bill to be debated next week will do nothing more than send a signal to the world that the UK is pulling back further from its climate commitments,” he told Platform X. A path that I know is wrong will cause problems in the future. In June, Environment Minister Zach Goldsmith resigned from his post, criticizing Sunak and saying the prime minister was “disinterested” in environmental issues. (Reporting by Alistair Smout)