MP Alok Sharma has reflected on his time as a world leader advocating for action on climate change that has seen him travel across the globe.
Mr Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West, has served as President of the COP26 since January 2021.
The role involved hosting the COP26 conference in Glasgow last year, and travelling the world to ensure other countries are adhering to goals made at the conference.
But now the presidency has been passed to Sameh Shoukry, the host of the COP27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt held earlier this month.
Mr Sharma spoke intimately about his time as COP26 President to the Financial Times, declaring that he is still a ‘green growth climate warrior’.
In the article, Mr Sharma said he quit eating meat on the suggestion of his young daughter Charlotta, and he is “fully invested” in “furthering climate action and green growth”.
READ MORE: Alok Sharma visits USA, Africa and Europe as part of climate world leadership role
He also called for a windfall tax on oil and gas profits while speaking with Fiona Harvey, The Guardian’s environment correspondent.
Mr Sharma said: “These are excessive profits, and they have to be treated in the appropriate way when it comes to taxation.
“What we want them [oil and gas companies] to do, if we are to meet our target of 100% clean energy by 2035, is to accelerate the renewables rollout.”
His service as COP26 President has meant that he has been noticeably absent from Reading.
According to Mr Sharma’s published flight schedule from January to June, he has been on 19 foreign visits.
READ MORE: Jet-setting Reading MP racks up over 34,500 air miles as climate change leader
That said, Mr Sharma has been to functions in Reading, visiting IT and business consultancy CGI in February, electrical vehicle charging company ChargePoint in April and the new Three offices in June.
He also attended Reading Bastille Day in Forbury Gardens, and recently held a private meeting with the Tilehurst People’s Local Charity and councillors to discuss a prospective plan for 80 homes across two sites next to the Tilehurst allotments.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Mr Sharma how he feels about proposed constituency boundary changes in Berkshire, which have been published by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE). However, Mr Sharma did not respond on this topic.
READ MORE: Tilehurst and Whitley to be no longer part of Reading constituency
It is currently unclear where he will stand at the next General Election, as the Reading West constituency he represents is due to be abolished according to BCE proposals.
He could run as the Conservative candidate for the new constituency called Berkshire Mid, which covers the rural area between Thatcham and Reading, the urban areas of Norcot, Tilehurst and Calcot, and the villages of Theale and Burghfield.
Whether Mr Sharma stands in Reading West or Berkshire Mid depends on which constituency boundaries are in place at the time.
Predictions about his electoral chances are dire, as the Electoral Calculus projects Labour has a 96 per cent chance of winning Reading West, and a 64 per cent chance of winning Berkshire Mid.
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