At least four Labour MPs accepted donations or event sponsorship totalling almost £25,000 from the lobbying and PR firm PLMR (Political Lobbying and Media Relations).

The company claims it helps energy companies “increase their public footprint or influence government policy.”

She represents InterGen, which owns several fossil-fuel power stations in the UK and was fined £37 million by regulator Ofgem in 2020 for manipulating energy prices. She also represents low-cost airline Jet2 and Centrica, owner of British Gas and one of the UK’s largest gas and electricity suppliers.

New MPs Marie Tidball, Jess Asato and Jade Botterill received £7,500, £2,355 and £7,500 respectively from PLMR.

Botterill, MP for Ossett and Denby Dale, was a former director of Portland, a lobbying and PR firm whose clients include BP, EDF and the Chinese oil company CNOOC.

While many of them have accepted money from lobbying firms for oil and gas interests, one MP even received money from a fossil fuel company itself. Labour MP for Ipswich Jack Abbott accepted a £2,000 donation from French energy company EDF Energy. He also received a total of £7,603.30 from PLMR for “sponsoring” two events, according to the Register.

Abbott was criticised by activists opposed to the Sizewell C nuclear power project for accepting the donation from EDF Energy, the developer of the Sizewell C project.

Oil and gas companies have expressed concern over Labour’s reported plans to ban new North Sea oil exploration licences and increase a special tax on profits, claiming it would spell the end of the game for North Sea oil and gas.

Industry association Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which represents over 400 oil and gas companies, expressed “deep concerns” about Labour’s proposals, claiming they would impact Britain’s “economic growth”.