Suella Braverman accepted leadership campaign donation from prominent climate sceptic

Attorney general warned that stopping carbon emissions could mean ‘net zero growth’

Attorney General Suella Braverman (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Attorney general Suella Braverman received £10,000 from a company owned by a leading climate sceptic to support her campaign for the Conservative leadership.

Ms Braverman argued during her campaign that the UK should suspend its legally-binding commitment to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

She endorsed Liz Truss after being eliminated from the race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister, and is widely expected to be rewarded with a senior cabinet post if Ms Truss wins.

The latest edition of the MPs’ register of interests shows that the attorney general received £10,000 from First Corporate Consultants Ltd, which is owned by Bristol Port owner Terence Mordaunt.

Mr Mordaunt chaired the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) between 2019 and 202 and remains a trustee of the thinktank.

The GWPF has been vocal in its opposition to climate change policies such as net zero and was sanctioned by the Charity Commission in 2014 for failing to adhere to rules on “balance and neutrality”.

Setting out her pitch for the Tory leadership in an article in July, Ms Braverman said: “In order to deal with the energy crisis we need to suspend the all-consuming desire to achieve net zero by 2050.

“If we keep it up, especially before businesses and families can adjust, our economy will end up with net zero growth. We don’t want to end up like the Germans, going cap in hand to Putin for heating and power.”

Records show Ms Braverman also received a £2,000 discount on digital services for her leadership campaign from consultant Ethan Wilkinson.

The register also records that backbencher Tom Tugendhat raised more than £120,000 for his leadership bid, including £42,673 in cash and donations in kind from a company called Policy Focus Ltd, owned by property developers Christian Sweeting and Robert Luck.

Tugendhat also received £50,000 from the long-time Tory donor Ian Mukherjee and £25,000 from Beacon Rock Ltd, owned by former Conservative Party treasurer Sir Michael Davis. Another £6,000 came from business consultancy InvestUK Group.

Ms Truss’s remaining rival for the Tory leadership, Rishi Sunak, declared a donation of office space valued at £3,195.

Kemi Badenoch raised £12,500 to support her leadership bid, with £10,000 coming from Longrow Capital and £2,500 from Joanne Black.

Ms Braverman has been contacted for comment.