1. Chris Skidmore returned to government in 2018 as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation following Sam Gyimah's resignation.
21 Facts About Chris Skidmore
1. 2.
Chris Skidmore was interim Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth from May to July 2019, covering for Claire Perry.
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Chris Skidmore returned to his former position of universities minister in September 2019 following Jo Johnson's resignation, and was dismissed from government in the February 2020 reshuffle.
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Chris Skidmore chaired a review of the government's net-zero strategy in 2022 and 2023.
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Chris Skidmore resigned as an MP in January 2024 over the proposed introduction of the government's Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill.
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Chris Skidmore was born on 17 May 1981 in Longwell Green, Avon.
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Chris Skidmore is the author of four books on medieval and Tudor history.
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Chris Skidmore served as a member of the Health Select Committee, leaving that committee on 17 June 2013, to sit on the Education Select Committee.
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Chris Skidmore is a member of the Free Enterprise Group of MPs, founded by Liz Truss, and along with Truss, Priti Patel, Kwasi Kwarteng and Dominic Raab, he co-authored After the Coalition and Britannia Unchained.
10.
Chris Skidmore was re-elected with an increased majority at the general election in 2015 and became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
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From 2016 to 2018, Chris Skidmore was Parliamentary Secretary for the Constitution.
12.
Chris Skidmore was named by the ConservativeHome website in 2012 as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any significant rebellions.
13.
Chris Skidmore was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 EU membership referendum.
14.
Chris Skidmore was appointed Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation on 5 December 2018, following Sam Gyimah's resignation over the government's Brexit policy.
15.
On 27 June 2019, as Interim Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Chris Skidmore signed the UK's Net Zero Pledge into law, becoming the first major economy to do so.
16.
Chris Skidmore submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson on 6 July 2022 during mass resignations of government ministers.
17.
On 26 September 2022 Chris Skidmore launched the Net Zero Review, pledging to use the review to focus on the UK's fight against climate change while maximising economic growth to ensure energy security and affordability for consumers and businesses.
18.
On 19 October 2022, Chris Skidmore put out a statement on Twitter, in advance of a debate on fracking, saying that "[a]s the former Energy Minister who signed Net Zero into law", he could not vote "to support fracking and undermine the pledges I made at the 2019 General Election".
19.
On 16 January 2023, Chris Skidmore published "Mission Zero", the final report of the Net Zero Review.
20.
In June 2023, it was announced that Chris Skidmore had been appointed to a professorship at the University of Bath to undertake research on sustainability and climate change.
21.
On 20 June, Chris Skidmore announced that in the 2024 UK general election he would vote Labour because of the party's Net Zero policies.