Ministers in Westminster have been accused of trying to blunt the teeth of the UK’s net zero watchdog by appointing a Tory loyalist to the post of chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
The leaders of the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have refused to approve any of the six shortlisted candidates, saying they are all too close to the Conservatives and lack diversity.
The row has significantly delayed the UK government’s attempts to appoint a successor to John Gummer (Lord Deben), the committee’s first chair and a former Tory minister, who repeatedly challenged ministers for being insufficiently radical in their policies on combating global heating.
Since the CCC has a statutory duty to oversee climate policies for the UK government and all three devolved administrations, the shortlist requires consent from all four nations.
The Welsh and Scottish governments were the first to object to an initial shortlist of candidates and the latest list. The Northern Irish government tabled its objections after power-sharing resumed at Stormont last month.
A senior source said ministers in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Stormont suspected the Tories were attempting to ensure a Conservative was in control of the CCC under the assumption that Labour would win the next general election.
In a row that mirrors allegations about cronyism over appointments to chair the BBC and Ofcom, he said the UK government knew that Deben’s successor would be in post for 10 years.
A separate Whitehall source said the failure to agree a shortlist meant the whole recruitment process might have to be rerun.
The latest shortlist, which includes the government’s preferred candidate Sir Ian Cheshire, the former chair of Barclays Bank, included several serving or former Tory MPs and peers, and one other businessperson said to be a “true blue” supporter of the Tories. Several were former Tory ministers.
There were only two women, and all appeared to be white. There are no minority ethnic members of the CCC’s current board, which has only one woman on it, and barely any minority ethnic members of its adaptation committee.
“We’ve got a real diversity issue here,” the source said.
The shortlist for the chair was arrived at after an open competition was run, to which anyone could apply, through a government portal. The Guardian reported last summer that at least 60 candidates had applied. The devolved administrations have acknowledged that due process, as laid out under the Climate Change Act, was followed.
The Welsh government confirmed on Thursday that it had been unhappy with the list of candidates suggested by the Westminster administration. A Welsh government spokesperson said: “Welsh ministers have raised concerns about the list of candidates put forward by the UK government.
“The Climate Change Committee plays a critical role in helping all UK nations achieve net zero and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Credibility is fundamental to its purpose, as is public confidence in its voice. We look forward to discussing a renewed recruitment process with colleagues in all four UK governments.”
The Welsh climate minister, Julie James, wrote in a letter to her Westminster counterpart, Graham Stuart: “Your officials have shared with me a list of the candidates deemed appointable by the advisory assessment panel. I was extremely disappointed at the lack of diversity in that list, and believe it falls far short of the level required for such an important and high-profile person.”
The Tories in Wales strongly criticised the move by Welsh Labour leaders. Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “This is just a flavour of the extreme ideology Labour is driven by. We see this all too often from Labour ministers in Wales, and there’s no doubt that Keir Starmer would behave in the exact same way if he ever got the keys to Downing Street. Labour should rely on good old-fashioned experience and suitability when approving candidates, rather than making decisions based on people’s immutable characteristics.”
The issue has emerged at a time when the climate emergency is at the top of the political agenda in Wales. On Wednesday thousands of farmers protested on the steps of the Senedd over the Labour-led government’s plans for new farming payments, which include restoring some farmland to nature to help combat the climate emergency.
It also comes as the Welsh leg of the Covid inquiry, which began in Cardiff this week, has refocused on tensions between ministers in Wales and their UK counterparts during the pandemic.
Deben was a farming minister and then environment secretary in Margaret Thatcher and John Major’s governments. That itself raised the issue about whether it was appropriate for his successor also to be a Conservative, the source said.
“No one is making the argument it can’t be a Tory just because they’re a Tory. We are not saying that every single name on the list lacks climate credibility. But this is a list which is true blue from start to finish,” he said. “This appointment is clearly designed to impose a Conservative chair, and this is for 10 years.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “The government’s latest proposal identified a credible chair and deputy chair of the Climate Change Committee. Robust due diligence has taken place and all devolved administrations have been involved throughout the process. In the meantime, Piers Forster has been appointed as interim chair, allowing the committee to continue its work until a permanent chair is in place.”
