Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has criticised Sir Keir Starmer for attending COP29 instead of looking at ways of lowering the cost of energy in the UK.
Speaking on GB News Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Lyon and Xi Jinping.
“What do all of these leaders have in common? None of them has bothered to go to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Perhaps you could say they were Baku-ing out.
“Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has bucked the trend set by Western leaders and instead followed in the footsteps of the Taliban and attended the summit.
“Top of the agenda is trillions of pounds in climate reparations, in which the UK would be dragged into a package whereby developed nations would splash taxpayers – that’s your cash – on developing nations.
“Well, it may surprise you to hear that in a way, we’ve already been paying climate reparations, precisely £11.6 billion of your hard-earned money.
“Granted, it was a sum set by the last government. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mistake and remains one now.
But will Sir Keir succumb to such demands? Well, as in the case of slavery reparations, it really appears to be a case of chickens coming home to roost.
“Remember that in 2022 Pakistan had disastrous flooding. In spite of having its own space program and nuclear weapons at that time it called for climate reparations, which Ed Miliband, now the Secretary of State in charge, indicated he supported, claiming that we had an historic responsibility.
“It’s almost as if Ed Miliband takes his cue from climate fanatic Greta Thunberg.
“These are the people who are now in charge, and it’s no wonder less developed countries want to squeeze all the juice out of the climate change reparations orange.
“The real point is that Starmer is choosing to align himself with a failing and costly agenda, just as Donald Trump is elected US president. The man who understands the need for energy independence; that cheap energy is the way to grow the economy, and that nations will never achieve anything by making themselves poorer.
“The Reverend Starmer has done the opposite of seizing the opportunity his election represents for the special relationship.
“And having schmoozed EU leaders last week, he’s now at COP 29 – is he ever in the UK – to identify himself with net zero.
“The future of a post Brexit Britain lies with alignment with the United States, an economically active country, not with the dead hand of Europe, and certainly not with climate fanatics in Azerbaijan.
“Only when we pursue, like America has, energy independence, domestic fossil fuel productions. And note that Norway is trying to maximize North Sea oil and gas output as we close ours down, as well as cheap energy and market driven solutions, we expect to improve living standards of as Starmer would say, working people and the sons of toolmakers.”
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