A JUST Stop Oil protester hand-delivered a letter to the Labour candidate for Barrow-in-Furness in relation to oil and gas licences.

The protest group wants the UK government to end all new oil, gas and coal projects licensed after 2021 and make a plan to stop oil use by 2030. 

73-year-old retired teacher Catherine Rennie-Nash, from Kendal, delivered a letter to the Red Close club in Ulverston.

The aim was to catch Labour's Michelle Scrogham at a public meeting being held about the closure of Ulverston Library.

The letter asked the prospective candidate to resign if Labour did not act if they win the next general election.

Catherine said: "I handed her a letter which asked all Labour candidates to resign within six months, if they come into power, and Labour fail to cancel all 'Tory' oil and gas licences issued after 2021.

"It was a very positive exchange and she listened to everything I was saying despite it being quite noisy.

"I knew via her website that she was very in favour of green initiatives and green policies.

"There's a strong possibility that Labour will get into power so cancelling all 'Tory' oil and gas licences issued after 2021 will send a clear message about fossil fuels."

Letters were also to other Cumbrian Labour politicians including West Cumbria MP Josh MacAlister and Carlisle's Julie Minns.

The Westmorland Gazette: Just Stop Oil protested outside Mark Jenkinson's office in Maryport on FridayProtesters also showed up at the office of Workington MP Mark Jenkinson at the weekend.

Around ten Just Stop Oil supporters gathered outside Maryport holding signs, some of which read: ‘The Future is Not in Coal or Tory Lies’, and ‘Don’t Listen to Jenkinson, Listen to the Science’. 

This protest was also focused on the opening of the coal mine in Whitehaven.

Mrs Scrogham said: "Labour have been clear, we will not revoke licences issued by the current government because we take investor certainty and legal obligations seriously.

"Just Stop Oil seem to think it’s as simple as turning off the taps in the North Sea but that would create the same chaos for working people that they have caused on our roads, this is unacceptable and something I will not support.

"Only Labour has a plan to deliver energy independence with our publicly owned Great British Energy, making Britain a clean energy superpower, cutting household energy bills, delivering security for families, and creating skilled jobs in our country.

"Our country needs change, and a plan to put an end to the energy bills crisis for communities like mine across Barrow and Furness once and for all."