A TORY peer who made a “dangerously stupid” claim that rising temperatures could benefit the UK is to be appointed to a key parliamentary committee on the climate crisis, it has emerged.
David Frost, who was Boris Johnson’s Brexit negotiator, was criticised for the comments last year, which were made as wildfires raged across Europe.
He will be appointed at the end of the month to the House of Lords select committee on environment and climate change, The Guardian has reported, which is carrying out inquiries into key issues such as electric vehicles.
The peer is also a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a think tank which has lobbied against climate change policies and produced papers that claim the climate emergency is not happening.
READ MORE: COP26 president Alok Sharma attacks Rishi Sunak's North Sea plans
Last year a clip surfaced online with Frost talking about what the potential consequences of climate change could be.
He said: “At the moment, seven times as many people die from cold as heat in Britain. Rising temperatures are likely to be beneficial.
“The Government Actuary Department no less wrote in April this year and I quote ‘it is the low winter temperatures that have a greater effect on the number of deaths’.”
He continued to say that rising temperatures were “perfectly manageable”.
The comments were criticised by then SNP president Michael Russell, who said: “Utter idiocy but also dangerously stupid in that he demonstrates not a smidgen of knowledge about what climate change actually is.”
Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary of state of climate change and net zero, said Frost’s appointment demonstrated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak "weakness" in trying to keep those seeking to oust him onside.
READ MORE: Met Office: 2023 was second warmest year on record for UK
“Rishi Sunak is so weak that he has allowed this key position to go to someone who thinks the climate crisis is a good thing,” he said.
“The truth is that wacky, fringe views on climate are no longer resigned to the extreme wing of the Conservative party – they are now the official position of Rishi Sunak’s flailing government.
“By trying to keep happy those in his own party who want to oust him, Sunak is putting party above country. The result is a disastrous energy policy that will leave Britain with high energy bills, energy insecurity, and Britain left lagging behind other countries.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel