Parliamentary Career
Greg Barker served as Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle, focusing on environmental policy, climate change, and energy security beginning in 2001 when he joined the environmental audit select committee of the house of commons.
Wins the Election
In 2001, Barker became MP of Bexhill and Battle, securing over 10,500 votes ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate.
Appointed Shadow Minister
In 2005, Barker was appointed Shadow Minister of the Environment by David Cameron and then took over the Climate Change and Energy portfolio in 2008. In this capacity he became a champion for Green Economy and ecological issues. This included working on the landmark Climate Change Bill for the Opposition, helping scrutinise and strengthen the legislation as it passed through the House of Commons. In 2006, Barker published his first policy pamphlet Power to the People advocating a shift to a more decentralised and cleaner energy system.
Trip to the Arctic
In his capacity as Shadow Minister of the Environment, Greg Barker accompanied then Conservative leader, David Cameron to Svalbard archipelago in the Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle in 2006, on a fact-finding mission to assess the impact of global warming in the Arctic. They visited Longyearbyen and Ny Ålesund where they heard from scientists and WWF about the impact of climate change in the Arctic. On his return to London, David Cameron became the first UK party leader to call for legally binding carbon emission reduction targets and the passing of a climate change act.
Green Investment Bank Commission
Initiated and formed by Barker in 2009, the Green Investment Bank Commission was tasked with creating a framework for a new financial institution to mobilise billions of pounds of new investment in the UK green economy. In June 2010, the commission released the report "Unlocking investment to deliver Britain's low carbon future", highlighting the urgent need for a new public financial institution to unlock the investment needed for Britain to deliver a timely transition to a low carbon economy. The creation of the Green Investment Bank, in which Barker played a key role as a minister in government remains one of the lasting achievements of the Coalition government.
Ministerial Career
Bringing climate action to the top of the agenda
From 2010 to 2014, Greg Barker served as Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and in addition from 2011 as Minister for Business Engagement with India
Green Investment Bank
During his tenure, Greg Barker played a key role in the creation of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in 2012, designed to accelerate private sector investment in the UK’s green infrastructure and help reduce Britain’s debt and annual deficit. Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for the bank following the 2010 general election, setting aside £1 billion in the Spending Review. The GIB officially launched in 2012 with £3 billion of government funding, announced at a stakeholder event in Edinburgh attended by Barker and other senior government officials.
Reforming and Growing Solar PV
In 2010, Barker initiated an urgent review of the fixed feed in tariff for solar PV which had been set up by the previous government and was running out of control. His progressive financial reforms put the industry on a much sounder footing as well as saving taxpayer's money and paved the way for the dramatic expansion of the UK solar sector in the following years.
Capital Markets Initiative
In September 2010, Barker launched the Capital Markets Climate Initiative to encourage private sector investment in climate-friendly projects both nationally and globally, with a focus on developing countries. Bringing together over 80 participants from investment banks, pension funds, think tanks, and other financial institutions, the initiative fostered innovation and strengthened public-private cooperation to support low-carbon, climate-resilient growth.
Renewable Heat Incentive
In November 2011, under Barker’s leadership, the Department of the Environment and Climate Change launched the pioneering Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to promote a range of renewable heating technologies. The first policy of its type globally designed to tackle emissions from domestic and industrial heating.
Major trade missions with India
In his capacity as Minister for Business Engagement with India, Barker led a series of trade missions and hosted incoming delegations of Indian business leaders, strengthening UK-India commercial ties. Following Prime Minister David Cameron’s prioritisation of India, Barker took on the role to ensure sustained focus and engagement, reinforcing economic partnerships through high-level business outreach.
Entering the House of Lords
In August 2015, Gregory Barker was appointed a life peer in the Dissolution Honours, becoming Baron Barker of Battle. He was formally introduced to the House of Lords on 10 November 2015, supported by Lord Browne of Madingley and Lord Black of Brentwood. This followed his 14-year tenure as Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle.
Continued Policy Leadership
Following his political career, Barker remains a prominent and influential thought leader on the green economy, involved in a number of initiatives and organisations advocating for sustainable, low-carbon solutions worldwide.
London Sustainable Development Commision
In November 2014, Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, named Greg Barker as Chair of the London Sustainable Development Commission. Barker was tasked with revitalising the commission, steering efforts to embed sustainability across the capital, addressing major environmental challenges as London’s population was projected to reach 11 million by 2050. He continued in this role under Mayor Sadiq Khan, as well as serving on the London Infrastructure Delivery Board.
Energy Transition Forum
Since 2020, Lord Barker has been an active member of the Energy Transition Forum (ETF), a high level forum for C-level energy leaders to discuss the challenges of and solutions to a secure low-carbon and affordable energy future. The ETF meets twice a year in Europe and North America.
World Bank Group’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition
In 2021, Barker was appointed Co-Chair of the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) alongside Chile’s Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet. Together, they led CPLC efforts at COP26 in Glasgow to promote carbon pricing as a central tool for achieving net-zero emissions, urging global policymakers to implement effective carbon pricing mechanisms to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Clean Growth Leadership Network
Barker currently serves as a director of the Clean Growth Leadership Network (CGLN), an independent nonprofit organisation. The CGLN fosters partnerships among businesses, academia, and government bodies, working to speed up the shift to a low-carbon, sustainable economy.
Aldersgate Group
Barker is a lifetime member of the Aldersgate Group, a coalition of leaders from business, politics, and civil society focused on building a sustainable economy. The group advocates for strong policy action to drive the UK's decarbonisation efforts and tackle key environmental issues through effective, forward-thinking solutions.
UN Climate Leader
In 2021, Barker was awarded “Ambitious Climate Leader” status by the United Nations Global Compact.