Letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

More than 100 lawyers, campaigners and others working in the legal sector have signed a letter to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the risks of departing from the Government’s Net Zero commitments.

The Government has recently offered more than 100 new licences for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. It also has a continued policy of approving new oil and gas fields, including potentially the disastrous Rosebank oil field.   

Scientists, academics, businesses and MPs (including Conservative MPs) have expressed concern that this approach will exceed the remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C. 

This poses significant risk to the life, health, security and prosperity of the citizens of this country and people around the world.  

As lawyers, we are writing to the Prime Minister, to raise our concerns at these risks.


Update: Government Reply and Our Response

On 21 November 2023, we received the following reply from Government Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero Graham Stuart:

Read our response to the Minister’s letter:

And finally, read the response we received from Graham Stuart:


Signatories

Caitlin McGivern, Solicitor

Christina Eckes, Legal Academic

Claire Rouse, Solicitor

Ryan Bestford, Solicitor

David Renton, Barrister

Dr Feja Lesniewska, Legal Academic

Jacqueline Alsaid, Legal Academic

Stéphanie Caligara, Lawyer

Santiago Onate Laborde, Legal Academic

Carmen Hall, Paralegal

Harminder Bains, Legal Executive

Olivia Tattarletti, Solicitor (non-practising)

Wendy Pettifer, Solicitor (retired)

Adam Marley, Solicitor

Lucy Wilson, Law Student

Nicola Harries, Solicitor (retired)

Louise Christian, Solicitor (retired)

Joe Hodson, Paralegal

Melinda Janki, Attorney-at-Law

Kevin O’Sullivan, Solicitor

Tom Goodman, Solicitor

Dr Nadia Bernaz, Legal Academic

Sara Teresa Goodwin, Solicitor (retired)

Paul Taylor, Solicitor

Rachel Harger, Solicitor

Clare Finn, Solicitor (retired)

Joanna Bury, Solicitor

Martha Jean Baker, Lawyer (retired)

Patricia Mary Mitchell, Solicitor (retired)

Melanie Strickland, Solicitor

Belinda Brooke, Solicitor

Dr Thomas MacManus, Legal Academic

Emma Rouzane Dauriac, Solicitor

Angela Williamson, Law Student

Alexandra Abrahams, Solicitor

Yves Hayaux du Tilly, Lawyer

Lisa Smith, Solicitor

Tom Fearon, Solicitor

Paul Heron, Solicitor

Poppy Franks, Solicitor

Ishan Deshpande, Solicitor

Jeremy Williams, Solicitor

Rhian Wood, Barrister

Tara Brassil, Senior Lecturer / Solicitor (non-practising)

Romona Harron-Harding, Solicitor

Natasha Maugueret, Solicitor

Ingrid Omli, Solicitor

Clare Rothwell-Hemsted, Legal Advisor

Tessa Khan, Lawyer

Margherita Cornaglia, Barrister

Mohammed Nazeer, Solicitor

Jodie Blackstock, Barrister

Monika Sobiecki, Barrister

Paddy Friend, Law Graduate

Mark Bush, Solicitor

Declan Owens, Solicitor

Lauren Chaplin, Solicitor

Paul Powlesland, Barrister

Natalie Barbosa, Solicitor

Susan Biggs, Solicitor (retired)

Luisa Le Voguer, Law Student

Audrey Cherryl Mogan, Barrister

Emma Bland, Solicitor

Michael Reed, Solicitor

Pia de Keyser, Legal Advisor

Olivia Hamlyn, Legal Academic

Kim Vowden, Solicitor

Angharad Monk, Barrister

Katerina Capras, Solicitor

Roberta Spiteri, Lawyer

Tomas Alarcon, Solicitor / PhD Student

Dr Samantha Velluti, Legal Academic

Esther Stanford-Xosei, Jurisconsult

Lucy O’Brien, Solicitor

Alured Darlington, Solicitor Advocate (retired)

Robyn Reed, Solicitor

Katinka Nessbach, Solicitor (non-practising)

David Lintott, Barrister

Raj Chada, Solicitor

Jeremy Gibb, Tribunal Judge (retired)

Paul Kingsley Clark, Barrister

Robert Frank Atkins, Solicitor

Amias Perry, Law Graduate

Shay Xiao, Solicitor

Louise Hobbs, Solicitor

Tom Bainbridge, Solicitor

Brook Dambacher, Law Graduate

Camilla More, Lawyer

Dr Natalie Jones, Lawyer

Steven Gray, Solicitor

Jennine Walker, Solicitor

Jolyon Maugham KC, Barrister

Marc Willers KC, Barrister

Michael Mansfield KC, Barrister

Matt Hutchings KC, Barrister

Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC, Solicitor

Lucy Neal, OBE

Sangeet Kaur, Legal Entrepreneur, Pro Lawyers ESG

Tim Crosland, former Barrister and Director of Plan B

Aoife Fleming, Legal Coordinator and Campaigner, World’s Youth for Climate Justice

John Firth, Senior Director of the Climate and Resilience Hub, Willis Towers Watson