Graham Stringer

Credentials

• BSc., Chemistry, University of Sheffield in 1971. [1]

Background

Graham Stringer is a Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton and trustee of the UK climate science denial think tank the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Stringer is also part of a close-knit network of pro-Brexit climate science deniers, having served on the board of the official Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum. [2]

Stringer has been a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee continuously since 2010, having previously held the role between 2006 and 2007. The committee is tasked with ensuring government decisions are based on sound scientific evidence. [3], [4]

Stance on Climate Change

2014

In 2014 Stringer was one of just two MPs (the other being fellow climate science denier Peter Lilley) to vote against the Energy and Climate Change Committee’s acceptance of the UN IPCC’s conclusion that humans are the dominant cause of global warming. [5]

“As scientists by training, we do not dispute the science of the greenhouse effect – nor did any of our witnesses,” Lilley and Stringer said in a statement. [5]

“However, there remain great uncertainties about how much warming a given increase in greenhouse gases will cause, how much damage any temperature increase will cause and the best balance between adaptation to versus prevention of global warming.” [5]

The two men also tried to edit out a paragraph which suggested the temporary slowdown, or hiatus, in the rate of global warming “does not undermine the core conclusions” of the report, and that “warming is expected to continue in the coming decades.” [6]

2011

Stringer has previously argued that independent investigations into the emails hacked from the University of East Anglia in 2009 had not been rigorous enough to clear scientists at the Climatic Research Unit of misconduct. [7]

“It does not say this is the end of the scientific case for global warming but it does say that people at the centre of this research did some very bad science,” Stringer claimed. [7]

Key Quotes

September 19, 2017

Writing in the Daily Mail in September 2017, Stringer said: [8]

“[E]nvironmentalism increasingly resembles a religious creed.”

September 2017

Responding to accusations of being a climate sceptic, Stringer said: [9]

“I am sceptical about everything – that is what scientists are. But there has been an enormous amount of shoddy work masquerading as science with regards to climate change.”

January 2011

On the UK government inquiry into Climategate, Stringer said: [7]

“It does not say this is the end of the scientific case for global warming but it does say that people at the centre of this research did some very bad science. It is not a whitewash, it is the establishment looking after their own. They are not looking hard enough at what went wrong.”

Key Deeds

March 2022

In an op-ed for The Daily Mail, Stringer called for the moratorium on fracking in the UK to be reversed, arguing that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine had “exposed our vulnerability to the disruption of the supply of gas and oil”. He also claimed that there were “vast reserves of gas” in the North West and that fracking was a “proven safe technology”. While he noted that “there has to be a role for renewables” in the UK’s energy system, he also called on Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Michael Gove to approve the Cumbria coal mine and said that “our current energy policy has weakened the UK”. [24]

August 2018

Stringer reportedly was set to face deselection proceedings in his Blackley and Broughton constituency. The action was brought after Stringer voted with the Conservatives on key pieces of Brexit legislation, including the Customs Bill vote, which had “undermined the party and bolstered the Tories’ position”, according to his ward’s motion. [10]

July 2018

Stringer was one of three Labour rebel MPs to vote with the government on its Customs Bill for Brexit on the 16 July, managing to secure a tiny majority for the Government. The vote concerned Amendments proposed by hardline Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, and was swung by only three votes. The three Labour MPs who voted against their party, Stringer, Frank Field, and Kate Hoey, have all been members of the organisation Labour Leave, a pro-Brexit group within the party. [11]

December 2017

Stringer signed a letter organised by the group Leave Means Leave which set out red lines for Theresa May’s negotiations with the EU. The main concern of the letter was to remove the European Court of Justice’s juristiction over the UK during the post-Brexit tranistion period. Senior Conservative Brexiteers such as John Redwood, Owen Paterson and Nigel Lawson all coordinated the letter, which was then signed by 30 Brexiteers from both parties. [12]

March 2017

Stringer was one of 70 hardline Brexiteers to sign a letter of complaint to the BBC, arguing the network’s Brexit coverage was biased to the Remain campaign. An analysis of the signatories of the complaint letter urging the BBC to “accept new facts” on Brexit shows 12 are part of the 55 Tufton Street climate denier network. A further six MPs have consistently voted against climate measures in Parliament. [13]

September 2017

Stringer was one of seven Labour MPs to vote in favour of the EU Withdrawl Bill (previously referred to as the Great Repeal Bill), which converts all EU laws into UK law to prevent gaps in legislation in the aftermath of Brexit. Among Stringer in defying Jeremy Corbyn by supporting the Bill are Kate Hoey and Frank Field, who are members of the organisation Labour Leave, a pro-Brexit group within the party. [14]

September 2017

Stringer was appointed to the Commons Science and Technology Committee, meant to ensure government decisions are based on sound scientific evidence. This comes nearly two years after Stringer joined climate science denialist Nigel Lawson‘s organisation the Global Warming Policy Foundation, Britain’s leading climate sceptic group which lobbies to prevent pro-climate legislation. [9]

August 2015

Stringer falsely claimed that there was “no scientific evidence” linking the UK 2013/14 floods to climate change, in a BBC Radio 4 interview. [15]

July 2015

Stringer joined the GWPF’s board of trustees along with Peter Lilley. [16]

October 2010

Graham Stringer attended and supported the climate denial event “Climate Fools Day” – the anniversary of the day MPs passed the UK’s 2008 Climate Change Act – hosted by the DUP’s Sammy Wilson in the Houses of Parliament. One of the event invites read: “The danger is not Climate Change but Climate Change Policy – for which there is no evidence in justification.” [17]

March 2010

Stringer, in his role on the Science and Technology Committee, was part of the investigation into the hacked emails of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (also known as “climategate”). Highly sceptical of the climate scientists, Stringer pushed for a more critical final government report on the incident.  [7]

Affiliations

• Labour Party — MP for Blackley and Broughton. [2]
• Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) — Member, Board of Trustees. [18]
• Labour for Britain — Formerly listed as a director. The company now appears dormant. [19], [20]
• Democracy Movement — Co-chair.  [21]
• Balanced Migration — Member. [22]
•  Manchester Airport plc — Former analytical chemist and chair of the board. [23]

Social Media

• @gstringermp on Twitter.

Publications

• Graham Stringer. “The perverse rigging of the rules against fracking leaves us vulnerable to the disruption caused by Putin’s war on Ukraine, writes Labour MP GRAHAM STRINGER,” The Daily Mail, March 6, 2022.
• Graham Stringer. “Britons in favour of leaving the EU are far from ‘isolationist John Bulls’,” The Telegraph, June 19, 2013. 

Resources

1. “Graham Stringer to take part in University Challenge Christmas special,” Manchester Evening News, November 24, 2011. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/99isi
2. “Graham Stringer,” UK Parliament. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/bWeXb
3. “Graham Stringer: Roles in Parliament,” UK Parliament.  Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/2GLEz
4. “Role – Science and Technology Committee,” UK Parliament, Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/lsFQ3
5. Matt McGrath. “MPs bicker over IPCC report on causes of climate change,” BBC News, July 29, 2014. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/eiwzP
6. Bob Ward. “MPs who reject science are undermining the public interest,” New Statesman, July 30, 2014. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/AcpOo
7. Louise Gray. “Official inquiries into the ‘Climategate’ scandal ‘unsatisfactory’,” The Telegraph, January 25, 2011. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/yQ1Jl
8. “Now that’s an inconvenient truth: Report shows the world isn’t as warm as the green doom-mongers warned. So will energy bills come down? Fat chance, says MP Graham Stringer,” Daily Mail, September 19, 2017. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Elin4
9. Tom Embury-Dennis. “MP appointed to Parliament’s science committee is part of climate change denial think tank,” Independent, September 14, 2017.  Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/T7Hl6
10. Stephen Bush. “Graham Stringer becomes the third Labour Leaver MP to face deselection proceedings,” New Statesman, August 29, 2018. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/OiV9V
11. “Brexit: Government scrapes through Customs Bill votes,” BBC News, July 17, 2018. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/ViQaq
12. “Tory Brexiters set new red lines over ECJ and free movement,” The Guardian, December 3, 2017. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/yNuM9
13. Kyla Mandel. “MPs Who Complained About BBC‘s Brexit Coverage Linked to Network of Hardline Euro-Climate Sceptics,” DeSmog UK, March 23, 2017.
14. “Brexit: EU repeal bill wins first Commons vote,” BBC News, September 12, 2017. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/4vHHB
15. Richard Black. “What’s the point of BBC guidelines when it comes to climate change?” The Guardian, August 5, 2015. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/kLVi3
16. Kyla Mandel. “Labour and Tory MPs Join Lord Lawson’s Climate Denial Global Warming Policy Foundation,” DeSmog UK, July 17, 2015.
17. “Cabal of climate sceptics to descend on UK parliament,” The Guardian, October 26, 2010. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/48nIs
18. “BOARD OF TRUSTEES,” The Global Warming Policy Foundation. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/fG53d
19. “Board,” For Britian. Archived November 22, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/SU8Cx
20. “LABOUR FOR BRITAIN LIMITED: Company number 08405117,” Companies House. Accessed December 12, 2018.
21. Graham Stringer. “Britons in favour of leaving the EU are far from ‘isolationist John Bulls’,” The Telegraph, June 19, 2013. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/mZ4FV
22. “About Us,” Balanced Immigration. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/uJUCL
23. “Graham Stringer MP,” APHG. Archived October 5, 2011. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/hCaNS
24. Graham Stringer. “The perverse rigging of the rules against fracking leaves us vulnerable to the disruption caused by Putin’s war on Ukraine, writes Labour MP GRAHAM STRINGER,” The Daily Mail, March 6, 2022. Archived March 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/s6OzA

Other Resources

• “Graham Stringer,” Sourcewatch.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons | CC4.0