Tory MP quitting to focus on global warming


by Sunny Hundal    
December 30, 2009 at 4:36 pm

Here at Liberal Conspiracy we are shocked to hear of a Tory MP who actually believes in man-made global warming.

So all due credit to Conservative ex-cabinet minister John Gummer, who has said he will step down as an MP at the next election to focus on the campaign against climate change.

The BBC reports:

In a statement, Mr Gummer, 70, said he had been “forced to rethink my plans for the future” following the “very disappointing results” of the Copenhagen negotiations. After talking to colleagues internationally, he said he realised he could not commit “to the work that they believe has to be done” while continuing as an MP.

The former agriculture minister and environment secretary said he had had an opportunity to play a part in raising the alert about climate change – and had hoped to continue to do so as a backbencher.

But he added: “Those of us who have any chance to influence the course of events, even in a small way, have simply to make that our first priority, however difficult the choice.”

Perhaps he could start with his fellow Tory MPs and convince them.


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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Silent Hunter

Well Burger me!

Hold on a minute! He is in the Party that is about to win a landslide! Surely if he wishes to campaign to tackle climate change, he is in the best possible position to do so? Vote blue, get green and all that? Cameron, Osborne and Goldsmith apparently all have impeccable green credentials, so why leave the Party who are about implement those credentials?

Does John Gummer know something that the rest for us and the media don’t?

Or is he admitting something that we really suspect? Namely the Tories’ ‘commitment’ to Climate Change is a ruse to con the unsuspecting among us.

We of a certian age know the Tories to be lying scum and need no telling, but there is a generation of people out there who are totally unaware of the Tories greed and selfishness.

Gummer was a member of this Party for decades and at the end of his political life he sees the light? Hmm.

Any info on the “pan-European climate change campaign” organisation he will be joining? Sounds like something worth joining, if he’s giving up a frontbench seat in the next government to work for.

“but there is a generation of people out there who are totally unaware of the Tories greed and selfishness.”

Hit the nail on the head there. He’s retiring as an MP to spend more time with this environmental consultancy and business.

http://www.sancroft.com/


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Sue Bailey

    RT @libcon: :: Tory MP quitting to educate on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq < Good for him.

  2. Lawrence Mills

    RT @libcon :: #Tory MP quitting to educate on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq

  3. Scottama

    RT @LawrenceMills: RT @libcon :: #Tory MP quitting to educate on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq

  4. Garry Dent

    Tory MP quitting to focus on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq. OK He's 70 &stuffed a burger in his kid's mouth to shown BSE didn't exist

  5. Liberal Conspiracy

    :: Tory MP quitting to educate on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq

  6. uberVU - social comments

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by libcon: :: Tory MP quitting to educate on global warming http://bit.ly/6NnImq...





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