North Yorkshire : Five individuals have been arrested after a protest took place at the private home of UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Demonstrators from Greenpeace managed to climb onto the house near Sunak’s Richmond constituency. They used ladders and climbing ropes to access the roof, where they unfurled 200 square meters of “oil-black fabric” to cover part of the mansion. A banner was also displayed on the lawn, questioning Sunak’s stance on oil profits and their impact on the environment.
North Yorkshire Police contained the area and used specialist police liaison officers to bring the protesters down from the roof safely. The individuals were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance.
The protest was a response to the UK government’s plans to issue hundreds of licenses for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Sunak had defended the project, emphasizing the need for domestically-sourced energy as the country transitions to a net-zero economy by 2050. In addition, he announced plans to build two new carbon capture and storage sites by 2030.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that neither Sunak nor his family were present at the time of the incident. The protest has garnered mixed reactions, with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden condemning the act as a “stupid stunt,” while Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called it “disgraceful.”
