A FORMER Tory energy minister is set to quit the party and Westminster over the legislation put forward by the party to mandate annual oil and gas licensing.

Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood in  Gloucestershire, announced his resignation which will trigger a by-election during a lengthy statement on Twitter/X on Friday evening.

The Tories' Offshore Petroleum Licensing (OPL) Bill is set for its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday. 

Skidmore was a minister for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as the Department for Education, between September 2019 and February 2020.

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During his tenure as energy minister, Skidmore signed the UK's net zero commitment for 2050 into law, and said that he could not vote for the legislation that "clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas".

We previously told how climate campaigners have condemned the legislation and described it as a “desperate attempt” by the Tories to speed up oil and gas licensing.

Skidmore said he didn't vote in the King's Speech debate in protest at the bill's inclusion in the Tories' plans for the next year. 

“Next week the Government will be introducing the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill in the House of Commons," he said in a statement.

“This bill would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea. It is a bill that I have already stated my opposition to, by not voting in the King’s Speech debate in protest at the bill’s inclusion in the Government’s legislative programme.

“As the former energy minister who signed the UK’s net zero commitment by 2050 into law, I cannot vote for a bill that clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas. 

He added: “To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained.

"I am therefore resigning my party whip and instead intend to be free from any party-political allegiance.”

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

His statement went on: “It is a tragedy that the UK has been allowed to lose its climate leadership, at a time when our businesses, industries, universities and civil society organisations are providing first-class leadership and expertise to so many across the world, inspiring change for the better.

“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.”