Two of Craig Mackinlay’s staffers have had close ties to the Global Warming Policy Forum (now Net Zero Watch) and its wholly-owned charitable wing report Josiah Mortimer and Max Colbert
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A right-wing Conservative MP who campaigns against flagship green policies faces allegations he failed to declare that his staffers have close ties to a controversial climate-sceptical think tank.
Questions have been raised about a possible breach of rules surrounding declarations in the Register of Interests of Members’ Secretaries and Research Assistants, misuse of parliamentary passes, and a potential breach of the parliamentary Code of Conduct by Craig Mackinlay MP.
Mackinlay appears to have failed to declare the interests of two staffers – a former researcher who worked for a bank while he sat on the Public Accounts Committee (and who is now a peer) and a current researcher of his who is head of public affairs for the controversial campaign group Net Zero Watch (NZW). That’s despite the right-wing MP speaking in several debates opposing tough action on climate change.
NZW is a campaigning group based in Tufton Street, launched and managed by the Global Warming Policy Forum, and set up by the late Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson. It does not reveal its funders, though states it does not receive gifts from energy companies. However, an openDemocracy investigation last year found links to “dark money” donors to the group’s charitable arm, with millions of dollars in oil and coal investments.
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The findings cast fresh light on the proximity of lobbying groups to Parliament, through All Party Parliamentary Groups, staff employed by MPs, and Members taking on paid advisory work on behalf of certain industries. Last Wednesday, Conservative MP Scott Benton had the whip removed after an undercover investigation revealed him offering to lobby on behalf of the gambling industry.
Responding to our findings, Green MP Caroline Lucas told Byline Times: “Craig Mackinlay appears to have been caught red-handed – it’s time for him to come clean on his links to Net Zero Watch. Climate-delaying and denying influences should be nowhere near the party of Government – we must kick fossil fuel interests out of politics for good.”
As previously reported, Craig Mackinlay, chair of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSG), which campaigns against the government’s Net Zero measures, has employed two staff members linked to Net Zero Watch/Global Warming Policy Forum – now-Baroness Ruth Lea, and Harry Wilkinson. The pair have both been listed as research assistants to Mackinlay, and both have held positions within the Foundation (officially a charity) or Net Zero Watch.
The separate Net Zero Scrutiny Group, a collective of around 20 backbench MPs which blames the government’s green policies for much of the cost of living crisis, has numerous institutional links to GWPF and uses research produced by it. It was established by Steve Baker MP who between May 2021 and September 2022 was a GWPF trustee.
Net Zero Watch Policy Chief
Harry Wilkinson has a pass as a “researcher” for Craig Mackinlay MP. He is also head of policy at the Global Warming Policy Forum, which now operates as ‘Net Zero Watch’.
Wilkinson has repeatedly denied or downplayed the severity of the climate crisis. Criticising IPCC research on TalkRadio, he said that “They have low confidence in any trends in drought globally; flooding the same low confidence, if anything flooding might be getting less likely than before”, and that children born today are “the luckiest ever generation” and “less at risk from extreme weather than ever before”.
Wilkinson had previously worked, until February 2022, as an aide to the late Lord Lawson, the founder of the GWPF who passed away this month. Upon leaving he almost immediately took up a position with Mackinlay. On 16 February 2022, he tweeted: “After 5 years of working as a Researcher for Lord Lawson, I am pleased to be able to take a position in Craig Mackinlay’s office. I look forward to supporting his work alongside continuing my role with Net Zero Watch.”
Harry Wilkinson declares his employment as Head of Policy for both the Global Warming Policy Foundation and the Forum (NZW) on his register of interests as a passholder. Craig Mackinlay does not declare that one of his staff members also works for Net Zero Watch. There is no allegation of wrongdoing on Wilkinson’s part.
While Craig Mackinlay has mentioned his role as chair of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group in contributions to the House, he hasn’t mentioned that he benefits from one of his staff members being paid by an outside organisation with a focus on climate-related topics during relevant debates, which could be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament.
According to the Code, members shall: “Always be open and frank in drawing attention to any relevant interests in any proceeding of the House or its Committees, and in any communications with Ministers, Members, public officials, or public office holders.”
The declaration of interests states that “members may also declare, if they think it appropriate, non-financial interests which are not registered but which they consider meet the test of relevance”, which relates to whether those interests “might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions as a member”. Relevant interests must be declared ‘in the Chamber and in general committees’ and ‘when speaking in a debate’.
Interests to Declare
Steve Goodrich, Head of Research & Investigations at Transparency International, told Byline Times: “When MPs or their staff fail to declare benefits from outside organisations it gives the impression something is awry. It is paramount that those with privileged access to Parliament are fully open and transparent about anything that could present a conflict between their public role and private interests.”
When referencing his work with the Net Zero Scrutiny Group and the UK’s reliance on natural gas on 15 March, a time that Wilkinson would have been employed by him, Mackinlay declined to mention that one of his staff was employed by a think tank closely linked to the NZSG – Net Zero Watch – which lobbies on behalf of the same issues as the ones reflected in his contributions. Mackinlay has also declined to mention these links when speaking on similar topics, such as fracking, which Mackinlay supported.
When speaking about the appointment of Wilkinson, Mackinlay stated that his outside employment with the GWPF “is fully disclosed according to parliamentary rules applying to MPs’ employees and his depth of knowledge acquired there is invaluable to my interest and work on the net zero issues”. According to parliamentary rules, passholders must “genuinely and personally provide parliamentary secretarial or research assistance to the sponsoring Member”.
Politico reported at the time of the appointment that Wilkinson was “expected to receive two salaries: one from the taxpayer as a parliamentary aide and one from GWPF”.