Mark Pritchard, 55, Conservative MP for Wrekin in Shropshire, took up a role providing “strategic communications advice” to Linden Energy Holdings in May, according to official records. He will be paid £46,800 a year for 12 hours of work a month through his consultancy, Map Advisory. Documents obtained by the Observer suggest that Texas-based Linden Energy – founded by a former George W. Bush lobbyist – pushed for increased fossil fuel use by downplaying the role of carbon emissions in the climate crisis. In a November 2021 presentation titled “The Reality of Climate Change,” Linden Energy CEO Ray Leonard emphasizes the non-human factors in global warming and claims it is “virtually impossible” to avoid global warming by 2 degrees Celsius by 2050, before arguing for more. investments in natural gas. While there is no indication of wrongdoing, the findings have led to renewed calls for stricter rules on MPs’ second jobs, as well as fresh concerns about the fossil fuel lobby. Scientists have warned of potentially catastrophic climate collapse since the 1980s, but efforts by industry lobbyists to cast doubt on the science have been blamed for delaying responses from governments around the world. Last year, after a series of lobbying scandals, Boris Johnson threw his support behind proposals to curb MPs taking up second jobs as advisers and lobbyists. The plans were later scrapped. This weekend, the Green Party called on Pritchard to step down from his role with Linden, while Edward Collins, director at thinktank InfluenceMap, which tracks lobbying by polluting industries, described the issue as “particularly worrying”. “Tactics like retaining serving politicians for advisory advice are part of a well-developed playbook from the fossil fuel industry,” he said. Linden Energy Holdings was founded in 2013 by Steve Payne, a former adviser to George W Bush. He resigned in 2008 amid a scandal involving a secret taping of him offering access to top White House officials in exchange for a $250,000 donation. The company is understood to have several projects under consideration in Europe and last year bought a majority stake in Overgas, Bulgaria’s largest natural gas company. He also led ventures to exploit natural gas reserves in Africa, including the drilling of deepwater exploratory wells off the coast of Guinea. Another company under the Linden umbrella, Linden Strategies, specializes in government relations, strategic communications and policy consulting and has clients in a variety of sectors. Its slogan is: “Complex issues. Distinct Strategies. Winning results.” Payne is president of both companies. In Linden Energy’s internal documents, which are seen as part of the company’s pitch to potential customers, the company is accused of using “known climate delay tactics”, including “doomism”, the suggestion that global warming cannot be prevented so to mitigate. It is futile. Linden’s presentation argues that preventing a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius by the 2050s is “virtually impossible” and that the steps needed “have no realistic chance of being achieved”. The company urges the transition to natural gas. Photo: Lennart Preiss/AFP/Getty Images He also devotes several slides to the “multiple factors” that caused the climate crisis, emphasizing “natural causes” and showing graphs of temperature change over millions of years – despite the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finding that almost 100% of the warming from 1950s has been caused by humans. The presentation concludes by calling for more investment in fossil fuels and says switching to natural gas could make “the biggest difference now” to reducing carbon emissions. Natural gas is cleaner than oil and coal, but experts say all fossil fuels should be phased out. Mark Maslin, professor of earth systems science at University College London, said Linden Energy’s presentation was “full of soft denial” and appeared to be “a continuation” of the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to delay action on climate emergency. “It says, ‘Oh, well, it’s not really all about greenhouse gases, so you don’t have to worry so much,’ and ‘Climate change is happening but it’s impossible. [to avert], so let’s not worry about it.’ This is classic denial 101,” he said. Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said it was unacceptable that a sitting MP could work for a company that “appeared to be trading climate denial designed to keep us all dependent on oil and gas”. at a time when “the UK is seeing the effects of climate inaction”, with soaring energy bills and extreme heat. “The interests of fossil fuel companies should have no place at the heart of our democracy,” he said. “I would urge the Government to force Mr Pritchard to choose between his new job in the industry and his position as an MP.” There are also questions about why Pritchard’s role, which is on MPs’ register of interests, was not declared until July. According to the entry, it was first paid by Linden Energy on June 6. but assumed the role on 1 May. MPs are required to list all relevant interests, not just financial ones, within 28 days, including “any interests that a person might reasonably consider to be influencing their actions or words as an MP”. Neither Pritchard nor Linden Energy Holdings responded to official requests for comment. Speaking to the Observer by phone, Ray Leonard said his views were shared by many and that his presentation did not emphasize non-human factors or use “climate denial” tactics, but “showed the facts”.
