A leading MP from Reading who has a key role in the Government has called on the next Prime Minister not to give up on the UK’s climate goals.
Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West and President of COP26 UN Climate Conference said he could quit if the next PM gets rid of the current Government’s pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
When asked whether he would resign over the issue in an interview with The Observer, Mr Sharma said he ‘would not rule it out.’
He said: “Anyone aspiring to lead our country needs to demonstrate that they take this issue [global warming] incredibly seriously.
“I want to see candidates very proactively set out their support for our net zero agenda, for green growth.”
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Mr Sharma has not publicly endorsed any candidate for the Conservative leadership race, which is narrowed down to two candidates, Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk and Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond.
According to Conservative party rules, it is up to MPs to narrow the field down to two candidates, who will then face a vote of all party members.
In the 2022 Conservative leadership contest, there has been five rounds of voting to get to final contenders Mrs Truss and Mr Sunak.
Mr Sharma has kept which candidates he has voted for private.
This week, he was spotted next to Boris Johnson at his last Question Time as Prime Minister on Wednesday, July 20.
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