Rishi Sunak will outline plans to invest in “powering up Britain from Britain” as he meets energy bosses days after his own MPs urged him to ditch green policies in the wake of a key by-election victory.
The prime minister and energy secretary Grant Shapps will meet industry leaders from the oil, gas and renewable sectors this week.
It comes after more than a week of scrutiny for Mr Sunak, amid concerns of a softening of the government’s commitment to net zero and other environmental policies after anger over London’s Ultra-low Emission Zone (Ulez) helped secure a surprise Conservative victory in the Uxbridge by-election.
The government is committed to new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, unlike Labour which has said it would invest heavily in other sources of energy instead – a plan Mr Shapps said “threatens the lights going out”.
Ministers are also keen to revive nuclear energy within the UK. Energy security has been seen as increasingly necessary since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Shapps hailed it as national security. “Since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine the government has driven Putin from our energy market, paid around half of a typical family’s energy bill and grown our economy by driving forward major energy projects,” he said.
“This week we will go even further. Forging ahead with critical measures to power up Britain from Britain, including supporting our invaluable oil and gas industry, making the most of our home-grown energy sources and backing British innovation in renewables.
“And across government we will champion Britain’s businesses to deliver on the prime minister’s priority of growing the economy – helping them to create new jobs and even whole new industries across the UK.”
His comments come as he last night attacked Sir Keir Starmer’s “insane” policy on moving away from North Sea oil and gas dependency, which he claimed would put 213,000 jobs across Britain at risk and cost the country £87bn.
It would also leave the UK dependent on other countries, such as Russia, for energy, he said: “Their plan is so extreme and done at such speed, it is in danger of putting us completely in hoc to Putin or whoever the next dictator is”, he said.
“Basically that plan – reading between the lines – says just import a lot more oil and gas. And if you’re going to do that and prices spike, we could be looking at the danger of blackouts.”
Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps will meet energy bosses this week— (PA)
It comes as energy insiders reportedly told the Sunday Express they fear a harsh winter could see energy bills soar again this winter and have urged the government to give support to the poorest households.
A spokesperson for Energy UK, which represents suppliers, told the paper: “While prices have fallen, they are still extremely challenging for many customers and further increases cannot be ruled out.
“This winter will be difficult for many households and businesses. It is therefore essential the government is ready with a targeted mechanism for customer support which can respond to events.”
Among the announcements expected from the government this week is support for carbon capture and other new renewable technologies in Britain.
Ministers are also expected to outline how the strategy will boost jobs and grow the economy.
Jamie Peters, climate coordinator at Friends of the Earth, said ending the UK’s “reliance” on fossil fuels was the “only sensible and effective way” of increasing energy security.
“This means saying no to new fossil fuel developments and ramping up our investment in renewables and energy efficiency,” he said.
“The UK is blessed with huge renewable energy resources, offshore and onshore, and we should be making better use of these for long-term security and economic prosperity.
“With parts of the world literally on fire, we need our politicians to show bolder leadership on cutting emissions – not more dither and delay.”
