Has your MP pledged to

Divest Parliament?

More than 360 serving and former MPs have backed Divest Parliament, ask your MP to sign our cross party Pledge.

 

With pressure from 360 current and former MPs from across the political spectrum, the MP Pension Fund has begun to divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewables!

    • £36m into wind and solar
    • Millions into ‘low-carbon’ funds
    • Investment in BP down by 62%

But there’s still more to do! Hundreds of our MPs agree: it is unacceptable for our political leaders to be investing in fossil fuels at a time of climate breakdown.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Join in

Divest Parliament: Get Involved

Sign up to get stuck in to the campaign.

200 MPs from across the political spectrum have now pledged to Divest Parliament! We’ve got a plan to win the campaign to Divest Parliament in 2019 -- but we need everyone to get involved.

Sign up to get involved:

Hi !

We have your contact info saved from last time, just click the button below to continue.

Not ? Sign out

Millions of people are taking quick, simple actions for climate justice – be one of them. Can we send you emails about important campaigns, stories, and actions?

By taking this action, you are agreeing to our terms of service and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Pledged MPs

Hundreds of former and current MPs from across the political spectrum have signed the Divest Parliament pledge. View the pledge and get your MP on board >>

Search for your MP below using ‘Ctrl+F’ on PC, or ‘Command+F’ on Mac.


To the Trustees of the Parliamentary Pension Fund,

Unmitigated climate change threatens to undermine our economy, shared environment and global security. Under the UK’s Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement, the UK is committed to limiting warming to well below 2C and to aim for no more than 1.5C. This requires leaving the vast majority of fossil fuel reserves unburnt, creating the real possibility of fossil fuel assets becoming stranded – with profound implications for the global economy.

We believe Members of Parliament have a responsibility to act on climate change, and a unique opportunity to show leadership on climate action, responsible investment and the management of climate risk through addressing the practices of our own pension fund.

As MPs past and present, and members of the Parliamentary Pension Fund, we call on the Trustees to uphold their fiduciary duty and take the financial risks of climate change seriously. We ask they quantify, disclose and review the fund’s investments in carbon-intensive industries, engage in a dialogue with fund members and managers on responsible investment, and commit to phasing out fossil fuel investments over an appropriate time-scale.

Alex Chalk, Conservative Party Andrew Selous, Conservative Party
Bim Afolami, Conservative Party Bob Neill, Conservative Party
David Warburton, Conservative Party Derek Thomas, Conservative Party
Dr Dan Poulter, Conservative Party Fiona Bruce, Conservative Party
Giles Watling, Conservative Party Gillian Keegan, Conservative Party
James Heappey, Conservative Party Jason McCartney, Conservative Party
Maria Caulfield, Conservative Party Nadine Dorries, Conservative Party
Neil O’Brien, Conservative Party Neil Parish, Conservative Party
Nigel Evans, Conservative Party Rachel Maclean, Conservative Party
Rebecca Pow, Conservative Party Robert Courts, Conservative Party
Ruth Edwards, Conservative Party Scott Mann, Conservative Party
Sir Bernard Jenkin, Conservative Party Sir David Amess, Conservative Party
Sir Mike Penning, Conservative Party Steve Double, Conservative Party
Stuart Andrew, Conservative Party Tracy Crouch, Conservative Party
Trudy Harrison, Conservative Party Carla Lockhart, Democratic Unionist Party
Gavin Robinson, Democratic Unionist Party Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist Party
Paul Girvan, Democratic Unionist Party Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Democratic Unionist Party
Caroline Lucas, Green Party Neale Hanvey, Indepenent
Nadia Whittome, Labour Party Afzal Khan, Labour Party
Alan Campbell, Labour Party Alex Cunningham, Labour Party
Alex Davies-Jones, Labour Party Alex Norris, Labour Party
Alex Sobel, Labour Party Alison McGovern, Labour Party
Andrew Gwynne, Labour Party Andrew Slaughter, Labour Party
Andy McDonald, Labour Party Angela Rayner, Labour Party
Anna McMorrin, Labour Party Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party
Bambos Charalambous, Labour Party Barbara Keeley, Labour Party
Barry Gardiner, Labour Party Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour Party
Benjamin Bradshaw, Labour Party Beth Winter, Labour Party
Bill Esterson, Labour Party Carolyn Harris, Labour Party
Cat Smith, Labour Party Catherine McKinnell, Labour Party
Catherine West, Labour Party Chi Onwurah, Labour Party
Chris Bryant, Labour Party Chris Elmore, Labour Party
Chris Matheson, Labour Party Claudia Webbe, Labour Party
Clive Efford, Labour Party Clive Lewis, Labour Party
Colleen Fletcher, Labour Party Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour Party
Dan Carden, Labour Party Dan Jarvis, Labour Party
Daniel Zeichner, Labour Party Darren Jones, Labour Party
David Lammy, Labour Party Dawn Butler, Labour Party
Debbie Abrahams, Labour Party Diana Johnson, Labour Party
Dianne Abbott, Labour Party Dr Alan Whitehead, Labour Party
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour Party Edward Miliband, Labour Party
Ellie Reeves, Labour Party Emily Thornberry, Labour Party
Emma Hardy, Labour Party Emma Lewell-Buck, Labour Party
Fabian Hamilton, Labour Party Feryal Clark, Labour Party
Fleur Anderson, Labour Party Gill Furniss, Labour Party
Harriet Harman, Labour Party Helen Hayes, Labour Party
Hiliary Benn, Labour Party Holly Lynch, Labour Party
Hugh Gaffney, Labour Party Ian Mearns, Labour Party
Ian Murray, Labour Party Imran Hussain, Labour Party
Jack Dromey, Labour Party Janet Daby, Labour Party
Jeff Smith, Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party
Jessica Morden, Labour Party Jo Stevens, Labour Party
John Cryer, Labour Party John McDonnell, Labour Party
Jon Ashworth, Labour Party Jon Cruddas, Labour Party
Jon Trickett, Labour Party Jonathan Reynolds, Labour Party
Judith Cummins, Labour Party Julie Elliot, Labour Party
Justin Madders, Labour Party Karen Buck, Labour Party
Karin Smyth, Labour Party Karl Turner, Labour Party
Kate Green, Labour Party Kate Osamor, Labour Party
Keir Starmer, Labour Party Kerry McCarthy, Labour Party
Kevin Brennan, Labour Party Liam Byrne, Labour Party
Lilian Greenwood, Labour Party Lisa Nandy, Labour Party
Liz Kendall, Labour Party Liz Twist, Labour Party
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour Party Louise Haigh, Labour Party
Luke Pollard, Labour Party Lyn Brown, Labour Party
Margaret Beckett, Labour Party Margaret Greenwood, Labour Party
Marie Rimmer, Labour Party Mark Tami, Labour Party
Marsha de Cordova, Labour Party Mary Foy, Labour Party
Mary Glindon, Labour Party Matt Rodda, Labour Party
Matthew Pennycook, Labour Party Matthew Western, Labour Party
Mike Amesbury, Labour Party Mike Hill, Labour Party
Mohammed Yasin, Labour Party Naz Shah, Labour Party
Neil Coyle, Labour Party Nia Griffith, Labour Party
Nicholas Brown, Labour Party Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour Party
Olivia Blake, Labour Party Paul Blomfield, Labour Party
Peter Kyle, Labour Party Preet Kaur Gill, Labour Party
Rachael Maskell, Labour Party Rachel Reeves, Labour Party
Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour Party Richard Burden, Labour Party
Richard Burgon, Labour Party Rosie Cooper, Labour Party
Rosie Duffield, Labour Party Rupa Huq, Labour Party
Rushanara Ali, Labour Party Ruth Cadbury, Labour Party
Ruth Jones, Labour Party Sarah Jones, Labour Party
Seema Malhotra, Labour Party Shabana Mahmood, Labour Party
Sharon Hodgson, Labour Party Siobhain McDonagh, Labour Party
Sir George Howarth, Labour Party Stephen Kinnock, Labour Party
Stephen Morgan, Labour Party Stephen Timms, Labour Party
Steve McCabe, Labour Party Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour Party
Thangam Debbonaire, Labour Party Toby Perkins, Labour Party
Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour Party Tony Lloyd , Labour Party
Tracy Brabin, Labour Party Tulip Siddiq, Labour Party
Valerie Vaz, Labour Party Vicky Foxcroft, Labour Party
Virendra Sharma, Labour Party Wes Streeting, Labour Party
Yasmin Qureshi, Labour Party Yvette Cooper, Labour Party
Yvonne Fovargue, Labour Party Zarah Sultana, Labour Party
Barry Sheerman, Labour/Co-operative Party Christina Rees, Labour/Co-operative Party
Gareth Thomas, Labour/Co-operative Party Lucy Powell, Labour/Co-operative Party
Meg Hillier, Labour/Co-operative Party Stella Creasy, Labour/Co-operative Party
Stephen Doughty, Labour/Co-operative Party Steve Reed, Labour/Co-operative Party
Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrats
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrats Layla Moran, Liberal Democrats
Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrats Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrats
Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrats Tim Farron, Liberal Democrats
Wendy Chamberlain, Liberal Democrats Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrats
Benjamin Lake, Plaid Cymru Hywel Williams, Plaid Cymru
Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru
Alan Brown, Scottish National Party Allan Dorans, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Alison Thewliss, Scottish National Party Alyn Smith, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Amy Callaghan, Scottish National Party (SNP) Angela Crawley, Scottish National Party
Angus MacNeil , Scottish National Party Brendan O’Hara, Scottish National Party
Carol Monaghan, Scottish National Party Chris Law, Scottish National Party
Chris Stephens, Scottish National Party David Linden, Scottish National Party
Deidre Brock, Scottish National Party Douglas Chapman, Scottish National Party
Dr Philippa Whitford, Scottish National Party Drew Hendry, Scottish National Party
Gavin Newlands, Scottish National Party Hannah Bardell, Scottish National Party
Ian Blackford, Scottish National Party Joanna Cherry, Scottish National Party
John McNally, Scottish National Party John Nicholson, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Lisa Cameron, Scottish National Party Kirsten Oswald, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Marion Fellows, Scottish National Party Martin Docherty-Hughes, Scottish National Party
Martyn Day, Scottish National Party Mhairi Black, Scottish National Party
Neil Gray, Scottish National Party Owen Thompson, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Patricia Gibson, Scottish National Party Patrick Grady, Scottish National Party
Peter Wishart, Scottish National Party Ronnie Cowan, Scottish National Party
Stewart Hosie, Scottish National Party Stewart McDonald, Scottish National Party
Stuart McDonald, Scottish National Party Tommy Sheppard, Scottish National Party
Kenny MacAskill, Scottish National Party

Former MPs

Naomi Long, Alliance Joan Ryan, Change UK – The Independent Group
Mike Gapes, Change UK – The Independent Group Ben Howlett, Conservative Party
Caroline Ansell, Conservative Party John Gummer (Lord Deben), Conservative Party
Laura Sandys, Conservative Party Luke Graham, Conservative Party
Nick Hurd, Conservative Party Nicky Morgan, Conservative Party
Sarah Newton, Conservative Party Zac Goldsmith, Conservative Party
David Simpson, Democratic Unionist Party Emma Little-Pengelly, Democratic Unionist Party
Nigel Dodds, Democratic Unionist Party Angela Smith, Independent
Antoinette Sandback, Independent Frank Field, Independent
Heidi Allen, Independent Justine Greening, Independent
Richard Benyon, Independent Sarah Wollaston, Independent
Sir Oliver Letwin, Independent Jared O’Mara, Independent
Kelvin Hopkins, Independent Lady Hermon, Independent
Clare Short, Independent Labour Adrian Bailey, Labour Party
Alan Simpson, Labour Party Andrew Smith, Labour Party
Andy Sawford, Labour Party Ann Clwyd, Labour Party
Ann Cryer, Labour Party Chris Ruane, Labour Party
Chris Williamson, Labour Party Danielle Rowley, Labour Party
David Drew, Labour Party David Hanson, Labour Party
Dr Paul Williams, Labour Party Eleanor Smith, Labour Party
Emma Dent Coad, Labour Party Faisal Rashid, Labour Party
Frank Judd, Labour Party Gareth Snell, Labour Party
Geoffrey Robinson, Labour Party Gloria De Piero, Labour Party
Gordon Marsden, Labour Party Graham Jones , Labour Party
Heidi Alexander, Labour Party Helen Goodman, Labour Party
Ian Lucas, Labour Party Ivan Lewis, Labour Party
James Firth, Labour Party Jenny Chapman, Labour Party
John Grogan, Labour Party Julie Cooper, Labour Party
Karen Lee, Labour Party Keith Vaz, Labour Party
Kerry Pollard, Labour Party Laura Smith, Labour Party
Lesley Laird, Labour Party Lisa Forbes, Labour Party
Liz McInnes, Labour Party Lynne Jones, Labour Party
Madeleine Moon, Labour Party Mark Lazarowicz, Labour Party
Martin Whitfield, Labour Party Mary Creagh, Labour Party
Melanie Onn, Labour Party Michael Dugher, Labour Party
Nic Dakin, Labour Party Owen Smith, Labour Party
Paul Farrelly, Labour Party Paul Flynn, Labour Party
Paula Sherriff, Labour Party Robert Flello, Labour Party
Roberta Blackman-Woods, Labour Party Roger Godsiff, Labour Party
Ronnie Campbell, Labour Party Ruth George, Labour Party
Ruth Smeeth, Labour Party Sadiq Khan, Labour Party
Sandy Martin, Labour Party Sir David Crausby, Labour Party
Stephen Pound, Labour Party Stephen Twigg, Labour Party
Sue Hayman, Labour Party Susan Elan Jones, Labour Party
Teresa Pearce, Labour Party Thelma Walker, Labour Party
Tom Levitt, Labour Party Tom Watson, Labour Party
Valerie Davey, Labour Party Vernon Coaker, Labour Party
Ged Killen, Labour/Co-operative Party Geraint Davies, Labour/Co-operative Party
Jo Platt, Labour/Co-operative Party Paul Sweeney, Labour/Co-operative Party
Chuka Umunna, Liberal Democrats David Steel , Liberal Democrats
Dr Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrats Dr Phillip Lee, Liberal Democrats
Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds, Liberal Democrats
Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrats John Leech, Liberal Democrats
Luciana Berger, Liberal Democrats Mark Hunter, Liberal Democrats
Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable, Liberal Democrats
Stephen Lloyd, Liberal Democrats Tom Brake, Liberal Democrats
Calum Kerr, Scottish National Party Roger Mullin, Scottish National Party
Stephen Gethins, Scottish National Party Mark Durkan, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

About Divest Parliament

Divest Parliament works with MPs from across the political spectrum to sign our campaign pledge calling on their pension fund to phase out its substantial investments in fossil fuels.

By engaging with their own pension fund, MPs have the opportunity to show crucial leadership on climate change, responsible investment and the transition to a sustainable economy.

The pledge asks that the Pension Fund quantifies, reviews and discloses the fund’s investments in carbon-intensive industries, engages in a dialogue with current and former MPs and publicly commits to phasing out fossil fuel investments over an appropriate time-scale.

MPs have a crucial role to play in challenging the political power of an industry that continues to push for new fossil fuels, even in the face of glaringly evident climate change impacts across the globe.

The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is the main pension fund for MPs serving in the House of Commons. All MPs automatically become members of the fund when they are elected to office.

It currently has 637 active members (current MPs who are paying into the fund), 224 deferred members (former MPs who have not yet retired), and 1090 retired members (former MPs who are retired and are receiving their pension). It is governed by a board of 12 cross-party trustees who manage the fund on behalf of the members.

In March 2017, following pressure from this campaign and the office of Caroline Lucas, the trustees made public for the first time details of the twenty largest holdings in the fund. According to the latest Annual Report, the largest investments currently made by the fund include stakes in the fossil fuel companies BP (£11.68 million) and Royal Dutch Shell (£10.95 million).

Note: This campaign is focussed solely on fossil fuels due to the gravity of climate change and the financial risks associated with fossil fuel investments. However, disclosures gained during the campaign have revealed significant investment in British American Tobacco (£11.68 million) and other controversial industries.

The fund is governed by a board of 12 cross-party trustees: ten of whom are MPs or former MPs; the other two are chosen by IPSA (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Association) and the Prime Minister. The trustees look after the fund on behalf of MPs, and have a legal duty to run it in their best interests. As members of the fund, it is ultimately MPs money, and their voices should be heard.

A group of MPs, spearheaded by Green Party Co-Leader Caroline Lucas, have been engaging directly with the Trustees on issues of climate risk since 2014, and remain unconvinced that these risks are being sufficiently considered.

Their names will be included on the public list of supporters, and they’ll be kept up to date with further progress on the campaign, as well as opportunities to get more involved, including participating in key meetings with the trustees of the fund.

By having many MPs from across the political spectrum sign our pledge, we demonstrate growing political support for divestment from fossil fuels and reinvestment into a zero-carbon future.

This support allows us to effectively pressure the trustees of the MPs pension fund and means they take the issues more seriously.

This is a numbers game. The more former and current MPs we get signing the pledge, the more pressure the fund is under to act. This is why need constituents all over the UK to engage with their MPs on the issue and ask their MP to sign our pledge!

It’s crucial that MPs focus on an impactful, long term policy agenda to keep the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground and build a sustainable economy. However, they can also show leadership in other areas, starting with the management of their own pension fund.

Why Divest?

Thousands of organisations and individuals have divested assets worth over $11 trillion. There are many reasons for MPs to join the fastest growing divestment movement in history:

The Paris Agreement saw 196 countries commit to action on climate change to limit warming to 2 degrees, ideally 1.5. Fulfilling these promise means a step change in action today, including leaving 80% of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

From South African Apartheid to Tobacco, we know that divestment campaigns have had huge impacts at shifting the discourse on key political issues and making change in the past.  And there’s no issue that needs a gear change more than climate.

Through significant political lobbying, the fossil fuel industry has been a key barrier to meaningful legislation on climate change. Similarly with Tobacco, a powerful divestment campaign sought to reduce the political power of Big Tobacco and brought in science based policy on smoking.

By addressing climate risk in their own pension fund and supporting the divestment movement, MPs can show commitment and leadership on tackling the crucial issue of climate change and challenge the lobbying of the fossil fuel industry.

Many of those divesting from fossil fuels have used this opportunity to re-invest in the greener, cleaner technologies of the future. Renewable energy is a rapidly growing sector, with a $3 trillion annual funding gap to achieve the scale required for transition.

The low-carbon transition will mean enormous job creation across a range of sectors, with the Green Finance Initiative hoping to build the UK’s position as ‘Global Hub of Green Finance’.

The MPs’ pension fund is their own money, but the lack of transparency over where the money is going and how members concerns are addressed is an issue across the whole pension system. By addressing these issues in their own fund, policy makers can lead the way for more responsible investment practised across the board.

For many MPs integrity is important, and being invested in companies engaging in disruptive lobbying and causing climate change will be uncomfortable. They should be able to put their money where their values are.

Concerted action to decarbonise our economy, rapid technological advances in renewable energy generation and the physical constraints on extraction in a changing environment are expected to seriously devalue oil, coal and gas assets over the coming years and decades. Between $1-4 trillion worth of fossil fuel assets may become ‘stranded’, presenting a major financial risk to pension holders. This position has been endorsed by leading economists and financiers, including the Governor of the Bank of England, the World Bank  and the G20’s Financial Stability Board.

With decarbonisation inevitable and the renewable energy sector growing rapidly, many prudent investors are divesting from fossil fuels to protect their returns.

Updates

FacebookTwitter