A former Tory minister has said he will resign over new legislation "that promotes the production of new oil and gas".

Chris Skidmore, who signed the UK's Net Zero pledge into law, announced today that he would withdraw the Conservative whip and stand down as an MP.

The ex-energy minister has stepped ahead of a vote on a bill on Monday that plans to issue more oil and gas licences.

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which Skidmore objects to, would guarantee annual licensing rounds.

"The bill would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea," he said.

"I can no longer stand by. The climate crisis that we face is too important to politicise or to ignore."