Mordaunt gets £20k donation from climate sceptic tycoon
»»MP accepted two £10k payments over two years »»Her super-rich backer is worth a reported £390m
PENNY Mordaunt came under fire last night for taking thousands of pounds in donations from the super-rich trustee of a climatesceptic lobby group.
The would-be Prime Minister accepted two payments totalling £20,000 from a business run by tycoon Terence Mordaunt, thought to be a distant relative of hers.
Mr Mordaunt is a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a think-tank once branded “the UK’s most prominent source of climate-change denial”.
As the nation faced its hottest ever day, Labour’s green champion Ed Miliband led criticism of Ms Mordaunt for accepting the money.
The Shadow Net Zero Secretary said: “Any candidate seemingly taking money from climate deniers must explain to the British people why they oppose action that will cut energy bills and deliver energy security for our country. The evidence says delaying action on climate will cost us more and is the reckless choice.”
Lib Dem climate spokesman Wera Hobhouse added: “Taking money from those linked with climate denial shows Penny Morduant just doesn’t care about our environment. We can’t have this sort of person as Prime Minister.”
Ms Mordaunt accepted £10,000 from Mr Mordaunt’s firm in January 2021, just before she was appointed Commons minister for leaving the EU, then £10,000 more was received in May 2019 weeks before the Government awarded Mr Mordaunt’s cargo handling business Bristol Port Company £100,000 to help prepare for Brexit.
There is no suggestion of rulebreaking in accepting – or making – the donations. The Portsmouth North MP has raised eyebrows with her record on climate change. She described it as an “existential threat” – but has voted against measures aimed at tackling it.
She voted not to reduce the permitted CO2 emission rate of new homes and against forcing power firms to use their excess carbon dioxide to create greener energy.
Mr Mordaunt is worth £390million, according to the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List. He has claimed the link between
CO2 emissions and climate change is not proven, contrary to the view of the overwhelming
majority of scientists. He told openDemocracy in 2019: “No one has proved yet that CO2 is the culprit. It may not be.”
The Foundation was started by ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson to lobby against “damaging and harmful policies” intended to slow climate change. It has been accused of “giving a platform to fringe climate science deniers” and getting “credibility within the political world through high-profile Westminster connections.” The think-tank’s website says green policies “may be doing more harm than good to the world’s poorest and the environment.” In June, GWPF director Dr Benny Peiser, introduced the group’s State of the Climate report, remarking: “It’s extraordinary anyone should think there is a climate crisis.
“Year after year our assessments of climate trends document how little has been changing over the last 30 years.” The group also lists Tory MP Steve Baker as a trustee.
Records show that in January 2020 Ms Mordaunt also accepted £3,000 from billionaire climate sceptic Sir Michael Hintze – an Australian hedge fund boss and prominent supporter of the GWPF. She also received £2,000 from Neil Record, another of the Foundation’s backers.
Ms Mordaunt has said she would not scrap or delay the UK’s 2050 net zero targets, but pledged to slash green levies on energy bills and halve VAT for fuel.
Seven of the top ten UK hottest days on record have been in the past decade. Forecasters predict a new record high this week.
And the EU has just published a report saying climate change is already “making countries more prone to wildfires”.
A GWPF spokesman said: “We don’t deny climate change – never have – and have nothing to do with donations to candidates in this leadership election.” A spokesman for Mr Mordaunt’s Bristol Port Company said: “Our chairman is currently unavailable and therefore we will not be commenting.”
Penny Mordaunt, who was approached for comment, is the favourite among Tory members going into the second week of the race, ahead of Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch. Today sees a second TV debate, on ITV at 7pm, before a third ballot of MPs tomorrow, a fourth on Tuesday and a final one on Wednesday. Members of the wider Tory party then get a postal vote to choose between two remaining candidates, with the result due on September 5.