The estimated cost of the week-long trip was over £14,000
Kemi Badenoch and her family spent a week at a residential hosted by Tory donor and chair of the climate science denial group Net Zero Watch, Neil Record.
According to Badenoch’s register of financial interests, the week-long stay, which was paid for by Record, cost approximately £14,350.38.
Last week, the Conservative Party leader made an anti-net zero speech at advertising agency Havas, who have been working for Shell since 2023, in which she said the UK’s target of achieving net zero by 2050 was “impossible” to meet and pledged to scrap it.
As reported by the Guardian, Tory colleagues joined Badenoch on the February half-term trip, including Julia Lopez, her parliamentary private secretary and Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister.
Lopez and Burghart declared the same value of £14,350 for a three day stay, while Badenoch stayed for six days.
Record owns Charlton Down House, a 180-acre estate in Gloucestershire. As well as being chair of climate sceptic organisation Net Zero Watch, Record has written articles in the Telegraph claiming net zero is driving up people’s energy bills.
As reported by DeSmog, Record donated £10,000 to Kemi Badenoch’s leadership campaign last year.
According to the Register of Members’ Interests, Record also donated £5,175 to Badenoch for “commissioning of research services” and over £1,500 for premises used for meetings and storage of campaign material.
In the past, The Global Warming Policy Foundation, which also operates under the name Net Zero Watch, received over half a million dollars from the climate-sceptic billionaire Koch brothers.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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