‘Categorically wrong’: Scientists condemn comments by Reform’s Richard Tice that man-made climate change is ‘garbage’

Published

5 months ago

February 17, 2025

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Scientists have spoken out after Reform UK’s deputy leader dismissed scientific consensus on man-made climate as “garbage”.

Richard Tice MP told Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue: “There’s no evidence that man-made CO2 is going to change climate change. Given that it’s gone on for millions of years, it will go on for millions of years.”

Fortescue challenged him with the findings of more than 200 international scientists that humans activities like burning fossil fuels are to blame for the recent hotter climate.

Human influence is “unequivocal”, said the report, which was signed off by all governments, including fossil-fuel-rich Russia, USA and Saudi Arabia.

“No, that’s absolute garbage,” Mr Tice said. “The climate changed for millions of years before man-made CO2.”

Dr George Adamson from King’s College London said the idea that Richard Tice had “discovered something that climate scientists don’t know about is of course preposterous”.

The climate did change for years before humans began burning fossil fuels at scale.

But what alarms scientists now is how quickly it has changed in the last few decades – too fast for nature or societies to keep up.

Many came out today to rebut Mr Tice’s claims.

Dr Andrew Jarvis from Lancaster University called the comments “categorically wrong”, while Dr Philipp Breul from Imperial College London said Mr Tice was “missing the point”.

“We are causing the climate to change significantly faster than it has, to the best of our knowledge, in the last million years,” added Dr Breul.

“This incredibly fast rate of change is the real problem, as it does not leave neither society nor the ecosystem time to adapt.”

Professor Sheila Rowan, vice president of The Royal Society of independent scientists, said the “evidence is clear” that burning fossil fuels has “resulted in fundamental changes to our planet”.

Mr Tice also said there were “a thousand” scientists who agreed with him, who were “not a minority”.

But the scientific consensus on humans causing recent climate change is greater than 99%, according to an analysis of more than 3,000 peer-reviewed studies.

Bob Ward, policy director at LSE University’s Grantham Research Institute and Geological Society fellow, called the comments “pure misinformation”.

“There is not a single credible scientific organisation in the UK or the world that agrees with him about the causes or consequences of climate change,” said Mr Ward.

Prof Ed Hawkins from Reading University told Sky News: “Of course there are natural factors which can cause the climate to vary, but they occur slowly, over thousands to millions of years, whereas the warming we have observed has happened over decades.”

The climate has warmed by 1.3C since the pre-industrial era, when humans began to burn fossil fuels at scale, according to the Copernicus science body.

Earlier last week, Mr Tice set out plans to impose taxes on the renewable energy sector and scrap the UK’s net zero target, if Reform UK were elected into power.

He blamed these for higher energy bills and for the deindustrialisation of Britain.

Reform UK only has five MPs, but last week topped a poll of voters for the first time, albeit by a tiny margin.

Around two in three people who voted for Reform UK last year think it’s important the government cares about climate action, according to research by More In Common.

It found that although Reform voters are “less enthusiastic about climate policies” than other voters, climate is low on their agenda.

Politics

Another tantrum from the Labour backbenches is inevitable

Published

4 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

In common with many parents across the country, here’s a conversation that I have with my young daughter on a semi-regular basis (bear with me, this will take on some political relevance eventually).

Me: “So it’s 15 minutes until your bedtime, you can either have a little bit of TV or do a jigsaw, not both.”

Daughter: “Ummmm, I want to watch TV.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s bed after that, you can’t do a jigsaw as well.”

Fast-forward 15 minutes.

Me: “Right, TV off now please, bedtime.”

(Pause)

Daughter: “I want to do a jigsaw.”

Now replace me with the government, the TV and jigsaw options with axing welfare cuts and scrapping the two-child cap, and my daughter with rebellious backbenchers.

Politics latest: Former Labour leader calls for wealth tax on assets above £10m

That is the tension currently present between Downing Street and Labour MPs. And my initial ultimatum is the messaging being pumped out from the government this weekend.

In essence: you’ve had your welfare U-turn, so there’s no money left for the two-child cap to go as well.

As an aside – and before my inbox fills with angry emails lambasting me for using such a crude metaphor for policies that fundamentally alter the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society – yes, I hear you, and that’s part of my point.

For many in Labour, this approach feels like the lives of their constituents are being used in a childish game of horse-trading.

So what can be done?

Well, the government could change the rules.

Altering the fiscal rules is – and will likely remain – an extremely unlikely solution. But as it happens, one of Labour’s proverbial grandparents has just popped round with a different suggestion.

A wealth tax, Lord Neil Kinnock says, is the necessary outcome of the economic restrictions the party has placed on itself.

Ever the Labour storyteller, Lord Kinnock believes this would allow the government to craft a more compelling narrative about whose side this administration is on.

That could be valuable, given one of the big gripes from many backbench critics is that they still don’t really understand what this prime minister stands for – and by extension, what all these “difficult decisions” are in aid of.

The downside is whether it will actually raise much money.

The super-rich may have lots of assets to take a slice from, but they also have expensive lawyers ready to find novel ways to keep their client’s cash away from the prying eyes of the state.

Or, of course, they could just leave – as many are doing already.

In the short term, the future is a bit easier to predict.

If Downing Street is indeed now saying there is no money to scrap the two-child cap (after heavy briefing in the opposite direction just weeks ago), an almighty tantrum from the backbenches is inevitable.

And as every parent knows, the more you give in, the harder it becomes to hold the line.

Politics

UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

Published

10 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

Politics

Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Published

12 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.