Greenpeace activists drape Sunak’s £2m North Yorkshire mansion in oil-black fabric
It's in protest at the Prime Minister's backing for a major expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling schemes
Last updated 3rd Aug 2023
Four Greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of the Prime Minister’s £2m manor house in North Yorkshire earlier this morning (Thursday, 8 August) in protest at his backing for a major expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling amidst a summer of escalating climate impacts.
After reaching the top of the building using ladders and climbing ropes, the activists unfolded 200 sq metres of oil-black fabric to cover a whole side of the luxury mansion.
At the same time, two activists unfurled a banner emblazoned with the words “Rishi Sunak - Oil Profits or Our Future?” across the grass in front of the manor house.
Sunak’s government has come under heavy criticism for pushing ahead with plans to hand out around 100 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, and even hinting at additional ones in future.
The Prime Minister has also indicated that he will approve drilling at Rosebank - the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field.
Campaigners are warning that any new oil and gas from the North Sea will do nothing for the UK's energy security or bills despite government rhetoric. The companies that own it will simply export it overseas, and any that is sold back to us will be done so at the international market price.
Commenting on the protest, Philip Evans, Greenpeace UK’s climate campaigner, said:
“We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist. Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling.
“The experts are clear - we can’t afford any new oil and gas, and the fossil fuel industry certainly doesn’t need another helping hand in destroying the climate."
But senior Conservative MPs have criticised the action, including Deputy Prime-Minister Oliver Dowden.
Mr. Dowden, who is standing in for the PM during his holiday, told protesters to "stop the stupid stunts".
Alicia Kearns, the senior Tory who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the action was "unacceptable".
"Politicians live in the public eye and rightly receive intense scrutiny, but their family homes should not be under assault," she said.
"Before long police will need to be stationed outside the home of every MP."
Government minister Alex Burghart called the activists "plonkers".