Former COP26 chair Sir Alok Sharma standing down as MP at next election
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Conservative former cabinet member Sir Alok Sharma has announced he will not stand as an MP at the next election.
Sir Alok, who chaired the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, was critical of Rishi Sunak recently when the prime minister watered down the government’s climate commitments.
He said last week that “it’d be incredibly damaging for business confidence, for inward investment, if the political consensus that we have forged in our country on the environment and climate action is fractured.
“And, frankly, I really do not believe that it’s going to help any political party electorally which chooses to go down this path.”
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In his letter to his constituency announcing his decision, the MP for Reading West said he will still “champion in parliament the causes I care deeply about, especially climate action”.
Sir Alok’s seat, which he has held since 2010, is being changed as part of the review of constituency boundaries before the next election, expected in 2024. It will be renamed Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
In the 2019 general election, Sir Alok increased his majority to 4,117 from 2,876 in 2017.
Before serving as the president of COP26, he was a housing minister, then an employment minister. He went on to serve as international development secretary and business secretary.
As chair of COP26, Sir Alok was a vocal proponent of green policies within the Conservative government.
He travelled across the UK giving speeches and attending summits on the climate, including at COP27 in Egypt in 2022.
Sir Alok was knighted for his contributions as a world leader in the effort to tackle climate change in the 2023 New Year Honours List.
It was him – as well as the then transport secretary Grant Shapps – who announced plans to ban the sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. This policy was delayed until 2035 by Mr Sunak last week as the PM weakened pledges designed to help the UK achieve a net zero economy by 2050.
Speaking at the time, Sir Alok said: “I hope other nations will follow suit as the UK makes another ambitious commitment to protect our planet and reach our all-important target to end our contribution to climate change by 2050.”
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Writing to his constituency paper, Sir Alok said: “I have this evening informed my local Conservative Association that I have decided not to stand at the next general election and therefore do not seek to be adopted as the Conservative candidate for the revised seat of Reading West and Mid Berkshire. This has not been an easy decision for me.
“It has been the honour of my life to serve as the MP for a constituency in the town where I grew up and a privilege to serve in government and represent the UK on the international stage.”
He added: “I will continue to support my Conservative colleagues and serve my constituents diligently for the remainder of my time as an MP, as well as champion in parliament the causes I care deeply about, especially climate action.”
