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Pension Funds: Fossil Fuels

Asked by Neil Duncan-JordanLabourDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 29 June 2026UIN 900681

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will issue guidance to pension funds on reducing investment in fossil fuels.

Answered by Torsten Bell

Pension fund investment decisions must remain grounded in fiduciary duty. Climate change is a financially material risk, and the existing regulatory framework ensures trustees assess and disclose climate-related risks, including those linked to fossil fuels, supported by both statutory, and Regulator, guidance.

Building on this, we are working with industry to develop guidance clarifying that fiduciary duties allow trustees, when investing in members’ best interests, to consider systemic risks, including climate change, and will consult later this summer.

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