Just Stop Oil head revealed to have an estimated £1million from Shell

2023-07-09

Leading member of Just Stop Oil is revealed to be sitting on an estimated £1million pension pot from… Shell

Dr Grahame Buss, 68, worked as a Principal Scientist for Shell for 33 years
But now he appears as a spokesman for the climate campaign Just Stop Oil
The revelations come after Just Stop Oil brought Wimbledon to a standstill

A leading member of the Just Stop Oil eco-protest group is sitting on an estimated £1 million pension pot from Shell, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Retired Dr Grahame Buss, 68, worked as a Principal Scientist for the gas and energy giant for 33 years but now appears as a spokesman for the climate campaign.

Just Stop Oil demonstrators – who have brought city streets to a standstill with their slow marches – have invaded the court during the Wimbledon championships, run on to the pitch at Lord’s during the Ashes and stopped play at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield in April.

There are also concerns that the group could target tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Mr Buss has defended the group’s actions in television interviews, saying its activists are ‘not here to be popular’.

PIC TO BE REPLACED : Dr Grahame Buss (pictured), 68, worked as a Principal Scientist for Shell for 33 years

READ MORE: Just Stop Oil are recruiting pensioners to sneak into Wimbledon because they are less likely to be identified by guards

He was joined by Deborah Wilde, a 68-year-old retired teacher from North London, who threw confetti over the court

Industry experts estimate that Mr Buss would have been earning between £125,000 and £150,000, plus possible bonuses, by the end of his three-decade-long career with the energy cooperation.

The father of three owns a large semi-detached Edwardian house in the leafy suburbs of Manchester.

As a teenager, Mr Buss – who studied aeronautical engineering and has a PhD in fluid mechanics – learnt how to fly planes and was a member of the University Air Squadron after winning a scholarship from the RAF.

Last night, Sir Robert Goodwill, Chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This is an astounding level of hypocrisy from another one of Just Stop Oil’s self-righteous activists.

‘Given this stunning revelation I am amazed that Mr Buss thinks he has a right to cause chaos to millions of hard-working Brits by supporting and partaking in Just Stop Oil’s ridiculous stunts.’

Since leaving Shell, Mr Buss has said that he hopes the company goes into administration.

He has been a fully signed-up climate activist for both Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion for a number of years and has defended the group’s controversial road-blocking protests. He has previously said we are heading towards ‘apocalyptic climate catastrophe’ and has accused the Government of being ‘complicit in genocide’.

Reflecting on his experiences at Shell, Mr Buss said: ‘I used to work at Shell, and Shell has completely failed us. I bear responsibility for that in my own way.

The revelations come after Just Stop Oil brought Wimbledon to a standstill. Pictured: William Ward, a 66-year-old climate hunger striker from Epsom, who ran onto Court 18 earlier this week

‘Being in an oil company makes no difference – the machine is relentless. I would say no one can make a difference from the inside. Now I am part of Just Stop Oil.’

Mr Buss dodged the question when asked why he is still claiming his enormous Shell pension.

Instead, he told The Mail on Sunday: ‘When I joined Shell it was an oil company talking about change, and I wanted to be part of that.

‘But by the time I left, it was still an oil company, still just talking.

‘The oil and gas industry is doubling down on fossil fuels in the midst of an impending climate catastrophe. This is madness. That is why I support Just Stop Oil.’

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