Rishi Sunak to face another byelection as Tory MP quits over oil Bill

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces another byelection challenge after a former energy minister quit as Conservative Party MP over new oil and gas output-related legislation coming up in parliament.

Chris Skidmore, who was a minister for energy under former prime minister Boris Johnson, said he was resigning as MP for Kingswood in Gloucestershire because the constituents deserved a new MP.

Early exit

The 42-year-old has already announced plans not to contest the next general election.

His early exit means Sunak will be forced to face a byelection in a year when the country will hold a general election.

MP’s grouse

"The bill will in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea," Skidmore said in his resignation letter posted on X on Friday.

"I can no longer stand by. The climate crisis that we face is too important to politicise or to ignore," he said.

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which comes up on Monday in parliament, will allow oil and gas companies to bid for new licences to drill for fossil fuels every year.

Warns MPs

Skidmore warned MPs who vote for it next week that the future will judge them harshly.

"I cannot vote for the bill next week. The future will judge harshly those that do. At a time when we should be committing to more climate action, we simply do not have any more time to waste promoting the future production of fossil fuels that is the ultimate cause of the environmental crisis that we are facing."

Sunak’s defence

Sunak has said the Bill, which would allow companies to bid yearly for new licences to drill for fossil fuels in the North Sea, would protect jobs and strengthen Britain’s energy security.

On Thursday, Sunak indicated he expects to call a general election in the second half of the year.

(With agency inputs)