Greenpeace climb onto Rishi Sunak's mansion after oil and gas pledge

Police officers are at the scene afterfFour Greenpeace demonstrators clambered up onto the roof of the PM’s £2m manor house near Northallerton and covered it in “oil-black” fabric.

The activists turned up with ropes and ladders and unfolded 200 sq meters of black fabric to cover the side of the mansion.

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Two others held a banned reading “Rishi Sunak – Oil Profits or Our Future?” on the front lawn.

Protestors used 200sq meters of cloth on the side of the PM's manor house. (Image: GREENPEACE)

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.

The house clad in black cloth. (Image: GREENPEACE)

“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.

“The experts are clear - we can’t afford any new oil and gas, and the fossil fuel industry certainly doesn’t need another helping hand in destroying the climate. What we need is a clean, affordable energy system fit for the 21st century. It’s time for Sunak to choose between Big Oil’s profits or our future on a habitable planet.”

The protestors arrived with ladders and ropes to scale the property. (Image: GREENPEACE)

North Yorkshire Police said: "We’re responding to reports of protest activity at a property in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton.

"Our officers are at the scene and managing the situation. We’ll provide a further update in due course."

On Wednesday Rishi Sunak admitted during an LBC phone-in he is expecting his climate-conscious daughters to grill him on his plans to “max out” the UK’s oil and gas reserves.

The Prime Minister said he is confident he can win them over with his argument that the UK can reach net zero by 2050 while continuing to drill for fossil fuels.

One protestor scaling the side of the building. (Image: Luca Marino/Greenpeace/PA Wire)

His comments came as he was being questioned about his decision to grant more than 100 new licences for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, for which he is facing a growing backlash for allegedly betraying climate pledges.

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Asked how he has sold the move to his children, whom he has previously called the “experts” in his household on climate change, Mr Sunak said he has not yet spoken to them about it.

He said: “We are going to get to net zero, that’s my commitment. But even when we’re there, we will still need fossil fuels.”

The plans have been criticised by climate campaigners, opposition parties and even leading green Conservatives amid fears of how they will affect the UK’s mission to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Tory MP Chris Skidmore, who led the Government’s net-zero review, has said the move is the “on the wrong side of modern voters” and “on the wrong side of history”.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called countries increasing the production of fossil fuels “truly dangerous radicals”.