Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart has defended the decision to make oil boss Sultan Al-Jaber the Chief for the upcoming COP28 climate summit.

“I think he is an outstanding individual and we look forward to working with the UAE to ensure COP28 is a success and gets more countries committing to the necessary emissions reductions,” Mr Stuart said.

The UAE’s announcement to have the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company lead proceedings at the climate conference was met with criticism and more than 130 lawmakers requesting he be removed from the post.

The UN was sent these demands directly, as it has also been under fire for allowing those directly connected to the fossil fuel industry to be involved with previous COP events.

Mr Stuart’s thoughts differ from those of European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and US President Joe Biden who stated they had “profound concerns” about someone from the fossil fuel industry being given an influence over the event.

To aid his argument, the Net Zero Minister also stated that Al-Jaber was working hard to reduce the emissions of his oil company and should be commended for this.