Greenpeace protesters yesterday draped the private home of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in black fabric, stepping up their campaign against his government’s policy on drilling for oil.
A picture posted by Greenpeace UK on messaging platform X showed four protesters atop the property in northern England, covering it in swathes of black fabric, while two others held a banner that read: “RISHI SUNAK — OIL PROFITS OR OUR FUTURE?”
A source at Sunak’s office said police were in attendance.
Photo: AFP / Greenpeace / Luca Marino
“We make no apology for taking the right approach to ensure our energy security, using the resources we have here at home so we are never reliant on aggressors like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for our energy,” the source said.
Sunak on Wednesday said that he was due to leave the UK for a holiday that evening.
Britain adopted the target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 under former British prime minister Theresa May in 2019, and was quick to build up its renewable energy capacity.
However, campaigners have criticized the government’s record in recent years.
On Monday, the government committed to granting hundreds of licenses for North Sea oil and gas extraction as part of efforts to become more energy independent. In December last year it also approved its first new deep coal mine in decades.
Sunak on Wednesday defended his environmental record, saying the UK had done a better job than other major nations in cutting emissions.
Greenpeace said four activists climbed onto the roof of Sunak’s home in Yorkshire, England, to protest his backing for the expansion of North Sea oil and gas licenses.
“We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist,” Greenpeace UK said in a statement.
A poll released on Wednesday showed that 67 percent of voters thought the government was handling environmental issues badly, the worst rating since mid-2019 when YouGov began tracking public opinion on the issue.
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