The Tory environment chief today threatened to resign if the new Prime Minister abandons key climate pledges.
COP26 President Alok Sharma said “let’s see, shall we?” as he said some of the five candidates for leadership had been “lukewarm”.
In an interview with The Observer, he urged them to "proactively" set out their support for the net zero agenda and "green" growth.
"Anyone aspiring to lead our country needs to demonstrate that they take this issue incredibly seriously, that they're willing to continue to lead and take up the mantle that Boris Johnson started off," he said.
Asked if he could resign if candidates were weak on net zero, Mr Sharma said: "Let's see, shall we? I think we need to see where the candidates are. And we need to see who actually ends up in No 10.
"I hope every candidate realises why this is so important for voters generally and why it's important for Conservative supporters. And I hope that we will see, particularly with the final two, a very clear statement that this is an agenda that they do support."
Pressed a second time, he added: "I don't rule anything out and I don't rule anything in."
Most of the Tory leadership candidates say they back reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 - but also want to water down policies that would help achieve that.
Frontrunner Penny Mordaunt today said she was committed to hitting Net Zero emissions by 2050. But she added: “It has to not clobber people. It's got to support levelling up and resilience and security.”
Rival Tom Tugendhat said: “I am fully committed to Net Zero. What I need now is the policy and the planning to make sure it works, at the moment nobody has set that out.”
Liz Truss backs the push to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050 but would stop green levies on bills, which could damage the target.
Rishi Sunak also says he backs the target. Kemi Badenoch blasted the net-zero by 2050 policy as "unilateral economic disarmament" due to being pursued "without thought for industries in the poorer areas" of the UK.
Labour ’s Shadow Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Even the Tories don't trust the Tories to tackle the climate emergency."
“The Conservative leadership candidates are so detached from reality and the British people that their own climate chief is threatening to resign because he doesn't think the candidates give a damn about the climate crisis.”
“As Britain faces its worst heatwave warning ever, it beggars belief that leadership candidates are tripping over each other to dump climate commitments.”
