BREXIT opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has been widely tipped to take over the business secretary brief and be put in charge of tackling the energy crisis if Liz Truss becomes prime minister.
The Tory MP will likely rip up several existing net zero policies if he gets the top government job and has already been in talks with the oil and gas industry about ending the ban on fracking and new oil exploration.
Along with current Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, expected to be the next chancellor under a Truss premiership, the Tory politicians have undertaken the discussions amid concerns over energy supply over the winter.
We previously told how the Scottish Government is "monitoring" the likelihood of power blackouts over winter after it emerged they were part of the UK government’s planning documents.
However, many climate campaigners have pointed out that upping production in the North Sea will still take years to come into operation and will not provide a swift solution to the crisis.
On Tuesday, City A.M. reported that Rees-Mogg was heading late-stage talks with oil and gas firms – with multiple government departments refusing to comment on the confusion over which role the MP was in when he met with the companies.
It is unclear if Rees-Mogg took part in the talks in his role as a government minister or as a supporter of Truss.
Truss’s team claimed the meetings were set up by Whitehall and not linked to her campaign, but it has not been clarified why Rees-Mogg held the talks and not Kwarteng or Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.
A Team Truss source did not deny the rumours, telling The Express: “Jacob Rees-Mogg continuing to serve in cabinet is a boost for Brexit Britain.
“He is committed to slashing the red tape that had entrapped Britons and businesses for decades. He is focused on delivery and will bring experience to a crucial role at this crucial time.”
One anonymous Tory MP claimed Rees-Mogg had a “strong record” in government, while another told The Express: “There is a danger that it might look tone deaf because Jacob Rees-Mogg will not be facing the challenges of ordinary families.”
Rees-Mogg personal wealth is estimated to be around £100 million.
Alan Brown MP, the SNP's shadow energy spokesperson, said: “Liz Truss' Cabinet looks set to be a horror show filled to the brim with hardline Tories, Brexiteers and Boris Johnson loyalists.
"Like her other rumoured appointments, Rees-Mogg as Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary will send alarm bells ringing, given his lack of concern over the climate crisis.
“It looks increasingly like Truss' Tory government will move away from Johnson’s lame-duck approach to fighting climate change, to a full-on attack on the efforts being made to secure net-zero.
“The fight against climate change and the efforts to secure a just transition is bigger than any one Prime Minister or Etonian Cabinet Secretary, and must not be stopped at the whims of any rotten Tory ideology.
“As each day passes it’s increasingly clear Scotland won’t get the government it voted for, deserves, or sorely needs with this latest Tory leadership election, making it all the more important we grasp the opportunity to become independent.”
Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP for the North East, said: "You know that things are desperate when Jacob Rees-Mogg is being touted for a Cabinet role. He would be the worst possible Minister at the worst possible time, this government was already lying down on the job but he's practically horizontal.
"We can't afford more of the same inaction and greed from the Tories and their millionaire friends. We need radical and transformative action and a total break from the mismanagement and incompetence of Downing Street."
Truss and Sunak have been criticised for their lack of action and planning on the cost-of-living crisis while the leadership campaign is underway.
It comes as Truss and Sunak prepare to make a final push to win over Tory party members as the leadership hustings conclude on Wednesday.
The pair will aim to woo members during a final hustings in London before voting closes at 5pm on Friday.
They are expected to once again lock horns over tax cuts and their competing visions for the UK economy, including on their plans to help households with the cost-of-living crisis.
Regulator Ofgem has confirmed an 80% rise in the energy price cap, which will mean the average household’s yearly bill will go from £1971 to £3549 from October.
