Environmental activists cover UK PM Sunak’s mansion in Richmond, northern England, in black

LONDON: Activists from Greenpeace on Thursday scaled UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s constituency home and covered it with black fabric to protest against his fossil fuel policy.

Sunak this week gave the green light to hundreds of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, angering environmentalists.

“We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist,” said Greenpeace UK climate campaigner Philip Evans.

“Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling.”

Greenpeace UK posted videos of four activists climbing onto the roof of Sunak’s mansion in Richmond, northern England, and covering it with black sheets.

Two more activists unfurled a banner reading “Rishi Sunak - Oil Profits or Our Future?” on the front lawn.

The prime minister and his family are currently on holiday in California.

“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,” said Evans.

Downing Street insists the policy is essential to ensure energy security.