A WHARFEDALE MP has joined the Shadow Foreign Office team.

As a Parliamentary Private Secretary Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West) will act as a liaison between the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry and backbench MPs.

Mr Sobel, who was elected in 2017, is a long-time supporter of a public vote being held on any Brexit deal and took part in a People’s Vote North rally in Leeds in June.

His position on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is shared by Mrs Thornberry, who recently stated that: “I stand here today and say to you that the Labour Party must and will campaign unequivocally to have that People’s Vote, and campaign unequivocally to Remain.”

Mr Sobel, meanwhile, has also teamed up with Richard Clarke MP (Con, Middlesbrough) to form a new, all-party Parliamentary group called Net Zero.

The group intends to work across Parliament, Government and the nation at large to ensure the UK reaches net zero carbon emissions at the earliest possible date. It will also form a Parliamentary link with the UN COP Climate Change Conference which was held in France in 2015, securing the historic Paris Agreement.

This will tie in with Mr Sobel’s new role next year as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be the lead department when the COP Climate Change Conference comes to the UK.

Mr Sobel said: “After just two years in Parliament it’s great to be recognised for my work, particularly on climate change, and to join the Shadow Foreign and Commonwealth Office team at such an important time globally.

“My first day on the job saw me having to prepare colleagues for the Iranian seizure of the Stena Impero.

“I am proud to set up the All-Party Group for Net Zero and hope we can be a significant contributor in the battle against climate change. I look forward to the UK hosting the Climate Change Conference next year and using my new role in the shadow Foreign Office team to help make it a success.”

Mr Sobel, whose constituency includes Adel and Wharfedale and Otley and Yeadon, has made environmental issues one of his top priorities since being elected.

His campaigns have included undertaking a fact-finding trip to the Arctic Circle with the Environmental Audit Committee and pushing for a ‘latte levy’, a charge for disposable coffee cups.

Congratulating Leeds City Council on its declaration of a Climate Emergency in March, he also addressed one of the ‘youth climate strikes’ in the city and more recently joined Extinction Rebellion protesters in Leeds to voice his support.