Kemi Badenoch may quit court over fear of eco damages bill 'worth trillions of pounds'

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 01:02, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 01:02, 13 July 2026 A future Conservative government could pull out of the international court that put Britain on the hook for trillions of pounds in 'climate reparations'. Kemi Badenoch said the UK should not remain under the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it is against the national interest. She has commissioned her Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson to look into the case for leaving, as he did last year on membership of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Her move came after a think-tank warned that a ruling last year by the ICJ, based in The Hague, could lead to Britain facing colossal claims for damages. The study by Policy Exchange said the opinion issued by the ICJ - which held that nations have a responsibility to tackle climate change - opens the door for lawsuits against countries that generated greenhouse gas emissions in previous years. It said the UK is the 'most obvious target' as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and estimates that if it was responsible for 3 per cent of all emissions it could face damages claims totalling £4trillion. The report also said the ruling could lead to North Sea oil and gas drilling being deemed illegal because it breaches environmental obligations. Mrs Badenoch wrote in The Mail on Sunday: 'I do not believe that we should remain within the compulsory jurisdiction of this court if it is not in our national interest to be there. The world has changed. Our approach should evolve with it. Kemi Badenoch has said a future Conservative government would quit the International Court of Justice over fears of an 'climate reparations' bill which could run into the trillions Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson has been commissioned by the Tory leader to look into the case for leaving 'So I have asked my Shadow Attorney General to consider carefully whether we need to make changes to our arrangements and to report back to me by the autumn.' And she warned: 'If this court has its way, we wouldn't be able to further exploit our natural resources in the North Sea, and we'd be on the hook for trillions of pounds in reparations to developing countries for the 'damage suffered' by historic carbon emissions. 'Unless ministers act now, this latest ruling risks becoming another way of frustrating our ability to grow our economy, strengthen our energy security and defend our national interest.' She urged incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to sack Labour figures such as Energy Secretary Ed Miliband 'who would put international legalism ahead of the national interest'. Earlier this year Britain endorsed the ICJ opinion at the United Nations. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The UK supported the ICJ proceedings and the UNGA resolution, particularly their focus on international cooperation and the central role of the Paris Agreement in addressing climate change. 'While neither the Advisory Opinion nor the UNGA resolution is legally binding, we welcome their contribution to international discussion on climate action.'