Five Greenpeace protesters have been arrested after scaling Rishi Sunak’s Yorkshire home in protest over what they called a new fossil fuel drilling “frenzy”.
Police were called after the group of activists draped the prime minister’s grade II-listed manor house in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, with oil-black fabric on Thursday morning.
After scaling the house with ladders, the activists unfurled the material and brandished a banner demanding “no new oil”.
Greenpeace climate campaigner Philip Evans said: “We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist.
“Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling.
“He seems quite happy to hold a blowtorch to the planet if he can score a few political points by sowing division around climate in this country. This is cynical beyond belief.
“Sunak is even willing to peddle the old myth about new oil and gas helping ordinary people struggling with energy bills when he knows full well it’s not true.
“More North Sea drilling will only benefit oil giants who stand to make even more billions from it, partly thanks to a giant loophole in Sunak’s own windfall tax.”
North Yorkshire Police said two men and two women were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance. A fifth man was later arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.
The prime minister is not at home as he is on holiday in California, where he owns a penthouse flat worth an estimated £5m.
A Number 10 source confirmed police are at Mr Sunak’s home.
The source said: “We make no apology for taking the right approach to ensure our energy security, using the resources we have here at home so we are never reliant on aggressors like Putin for our energy.
“We are also investing in renewables and our approach supports thousands of British jobs.”
Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, who is standing in for Mr Sunak during his holiday, told the protesters to “stop the stupid stunts”.
And Alicia Kearns, the senior Tory who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the action was “unacceptable”.
“Politicians live in the public eye and rightly receive intense scrutiny, but their family homes should not be under assault,” she said.
“Before long police will need to be stationed outside the home of every MP.”
Mr Sunak this week vowed to “max out” North Sea oil and gas by issuing hundreds of new development licences. The move was an apparent attempt to draw a dividing line with Labour, which has promised to stop issuing new licences for the North Sea if it wins power.
The prime minister said that even if the UK reaches net zero by 2050, “a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas”.
And he insisted granting new oil and gas licences for the UK was "entirely consistent" with the UK commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
But Greenpeace and other environmental groups rounded on Mr Sunak over the new oil and gas licences, accusing ministers of “pouring fuel on the fire”.
Environmental think tank the IPPR said by planning to “max out” the North Sea the government had “abandoned any pretence of climate leadership”.
And Oxfam’s climate change policy advisor Lyndsay Walsh said the decision was “wrongheaded” and part of “the government’s hypocritical and dangerously inconsistent climate policy”.
Greenpeace earlier slammed the announcement as “a cynical political ploy to sow division”.
Even a Tory former energy minister said backing future oil and gas projects in the North Sea is "the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time” as countries around the world experience record heat waves.
Conservative MP Chris Skidmore said: "It is on the wrong side of a future economy that will be founded on renewable and clean industries and not fossil fuels.
"It is on the wrong side of modern voters who will vote with their feet at the next general election for parties that protect, and not threaten, our environment. And it is on the wrong side of history, that will not look favourably on the decision taken today.”
He said it was “worrying” that the announcement was made during parliamentary recess, with MPs “unable to hold the Government to account”.
