Rishi Sunak: Defra ‘cuts ties’ with Greenpeace after anti-oil protest at PM’s home

Campaigners draped PM’s home in black cloth while he was away on holiday with his family in California

Greenpeace protesters descend from Sunak’s roof following protest

Rishi Sunak’s environment secretary Therese Coffey has ordered her department to suspend its engagement with Greenpeace, after activists staged an anti-oil protest at the PM’s constituency home.

The largely symbolic display of anger came as former home secretary Priti Patel and ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith raised concerns about Mr Sunak’s security arrangements, following the demonstration on the roof his constituency manor house.

The campaigners draped his home with an oil-black fabric at the prime minister’s North Yorkshire home to protest against the government’s plans to allow licences to be granted for further development of North Sea oil and gas.

North Yorkshire Police said the activists scaled the roof of his home at about 8am on Thursday, while Mr Sunak, his wife and children were on holiday in California, and stayed up until around 1.15pm, when they were arrested, before being released pending further enquiries.

Protester Alex Wilson said: “We’re all here because Rishi Sunak has opened the door to a new drilling frenzy in the North Sea while large parts of our world are literally on fire.”

Key Points

• Greenpeace activists arrested after protest at Rishi Sunak’s home
• Priti Patel and Iain Duncan Smith raise security concerns

[4 August 2023 08:19 · Sam Rkaina]

Greenpeace activists released on bail

A group of Greenpeace activists arrested following an anti-oil protest on the roof of Rishi Sunak’s constituency manor house have been released while inquiries continue, police have said.

North Yorkshire Police, who have come under criticism following the security breach at the Prime Minister’s grade II-listed mansion in Kirby Sigston on Thursday, said their investigation “remains ongoing”.

The campaigners draped his home with an oil-black fabric to protest against the Government’s plans to allow licences to be granted for further development of North Sea oil and gas.

They scaled the roof of his home at about 8am on Thursday, while Mr Sunak, his wife and children were on holiday in California, and stayed up until around 1.15pm, when they were arrested.

The force said: “All five suspects who were arrested following the protest in Kirby Sigston on August 3 have been released on conditional police bail to allow for further inquiries to be carried out.

“The investigation remains ongoing.”

Assistant Chief Constable Elliot Foskett said: “There was no threat to the wider public throughout this incident, which has now been brought to a safe conclusion.”

But a former deputy chief constable from the force said it was a “major breach of security”, as he called for an “investigation into how this has been allowed to happen”.

(Greenpeace)