Previous Tory government ‘became climate dinosaurs’, says Lammy

The Foreign Secretary said the Conservatives had run a ‘fossil fuel government in a renewable era’.

The Foreign Secretary was giving his first major speech since taking up the role (Frank Augstein/PA) (PA Wire)

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has criticised the previous Conservative government as “climate dinosaurs” as he gave his first major speech since being appointed to the position.

Mr Lammy said the Tories had run a “fossil fuel government in a renewable era”, as he said that tackling the issue would become a key part of his work as head of the Foreign Office.

Speaking inside the Temperate House at Kew Gardens, west London, he said: “They became climate dinosaurs – crashing offshore wind, blocking onshore wind, moving the goalposts on electric vehicle targets, doubling down on oil and gas, leaving British wildlife in crisis, our biodiversity declining at an unprecedented rate, our precious national parks in decline, our rivers, lakes and seas awash with toxic sewage.

“Blind (to) the opportunities of the energy transition, a fossil fuel government in a renewable age.”

I'm committing to you that while I am Foreign Secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to all that the Foreign Office does

Foreign Secretary David Lammy

He later added: “I’m committing to you that while I am Foreign Secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to all that the Foreign Office does.

“This is critical, given the scale of the threat, but also the scale of the opportunity, the chance to achieve clean and secure energy, lower bills, and drive growth for the UK, and to preserve the natural world around us, on which all prosperity ultimately depends.”

Mr Lammy announced the creation of the global clean power alliance to improve renewable energy coverage worldwide.

He added that the Government would end the era of “do as I say, not as I do” climate diplomacy, and it would appoint a new UK special representative for climate change and nature.

The alliance would be focused on increasing global investment, Mr Lammy said, and widening the production and supply of minerals needed for batteries and green technology, including lithium, cobalt, and copper.

Despite several other valuable initiatives pushing forward the energy transition, there is no equivalent grouping of countries at the vanguard of the transition, reaching across the global north and global south together

Foreign Secretary David Lammy

But he cautioned that the “highest environmental standards” were needed when mining them.

No members of the alliance were announced during the speech on Tuesday morning.

He said: “Despite several other valuable initiatives pushing forward the energy transition, there is no equivalent grouping of countries at the vanguard of the transition, reaching across the global north and global south together.”

He added: “My argument to you today is that demands for action from the world’s most vulnerable, and the requirements of delivering security to British citizens are fundamentally aligned … the threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an imperialist autocrat, but it is more fundamental. It is systemic, it is pervasive and accelerating towards us at pace.”

The Labour MP for Tottenham cited the impact caused to the Caribbean by Hurricane Beryl in June and July this year, in which 70 people were killed and billions of pounds worth of damage was caused.

He said: “I saw on day one of this job, the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl, the earliest-falling category five hurricane on record, and in places like the Sahel, South Sudan, Syria, rising temperatures are making water even scarcer.

“These are not random events delivered from heavens. These are failures in politics, failures of regulation and frankly failures of international co-operation. And these failures pour fuel onto existing conflicts and regional rivalries, driving extremism, displacing communities, and increasing humanitarian need.

As I look around the world ... there are some democracies - depending on which way their elections go - which might move away from this agenda. Which is why it's so important here in the UK, now we look to have stability I hope for at least a decade on this agenda

Foreign Secretary David Lammy

“It would be a further imagination to hope that they will stay from our shores, that we can keep them away.”

The Foreign Secretary hinted that the US election result may see the diplomatic dynamics shift for tackling climate change but said he hoped the Government was looking to a decade-long plan for tackling the issue.

“As I look around the world, particularly in democracies, there are some democracies – depending on which way their elections go – which might move away from this agenda,” he said.

“Which is why it’s so important here in the UK, now we look to have stability I hope for at least a decade on this agenda.”

Businesses, energy experts, and the unions have said that Labour’s ideological approach to energy will raise bills and send businesses abroad to countries with higher emissions. That's worse for the British economy and worse for climate change overall

Shadow energy security and net zero secretary Claire Coutinho

Responding to Mr Lammy’s speech, shadow energy security and net zero secretary Claire Coutinho said: “Under the Conservatives, the UK built more offshore wind than any other country bar China and became one of the first countries to come off coal.

“We’re already a global leader in tackling climate change, but heaping costs on families in Britain won’t want to make other countries follow our lead.

“Businesses, energy experts, and the unions have said that Labour’s ideological approach to energy will raise bills and send businesses abroad to countries with higher emissions. That’s worse for the British economy and worse for climate change overall.”