Last week, I joined activists at Stop Cambo and Green New Deal Rising to disrupt a Conservative business lunch. We did this to ask Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng why he is backing Jackdaw, while blocking a windfall tax on the obscene profits of companies like Shell, when millions of people cannot afford to pay their bills. 

Here’s some of what I said to Kwasi: “Whilst millions are struggling to survive due to rising energy bills, Shell has just announced a record £7 billion in profits. By blocking a windfall tax… you are allowing Shell to profit off of poverty”.

The attendees were very aggressive with us, invading our personal space and even ripping up my #StopJackdaw sign. As a group of young people, we were just there to share how terrified we are about our futures and point out that we will not accept the government's violent decisions, which will continue to severely impact us all. 

But Kwasi couldn’t answer. He laughed at us behind his Conservative allies, was swiftly escorted away from the event, and later quote tweeted us on twitter, refusing to back down on new oil and gas. He even went so far as to block me! 

Watch and share the video here!

The public consultation on Jackdaw closed one month ago and it now looks like a decision on Jackdaw could come any day. Just yesterday, we found out that the oil and gas regulator OPRED has gone back to Shell with more questions about the project. This is a sign that the UK government is moving towards either approving or rejecting the project.

Now is the time to keep the pressure on. Here’s how: 

Join us this Friday 20th May whenever you can between 12:00-18:00 for a digital day of action to #StopJackdaw. Sign up here! 

Whether you’ve got 5 mins or the whole day, you’re a newcomer or experienced activist, there are many ways you can participate. We’ll have a zoom call open throughout the afternoon if you want to join a digital space with others or want to ask questions. The aim of the day is to make as much noise as possible about the project. Last Friday, we confronted the Business Secretary in person. This Friday, we’re planning a whole afternoon challenging Jackdaw online.

Help spread the word about the digital day of action by sharing our posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. 

Together we can make enough noise to #StopJackdaw. Please take action with us on Friday: I really appreciate your continued support of this campaign! 

Lauren + the #StopJackdaw team