Labour’s eco plans could plunge Britain into blackouts, Energy Secretary Grant Shapps warns
LABOUR’S eco plans risk plunging Britain into 1970s-style blackouts, Energy Secretary Grant Shapps warned last night.
Sir Keir Starmer wants to end new licences for drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea and make the electricity system carbon neutral by 2030.
But Mr Shapps said the “insane” policy would put 213,000 jobs across Britain at risk and cost the country £87 billion in lost revenues.
It will also leave the UK dependent on foreign leaders like Vladimir Putin for our energy, he warned.
He said: “Keir Starmer’s plan threatens the lights going out.
“They will put the security of our energy supply in danger.”
Mr Shapps said Labour’s green targets are impossible to achieve without clobbering families with higher bills.
“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 fumed.
“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.
“So Labour’s plan threatens not only jobs and livelihoods, but also blackouts in people’s homes.
“It is mission impossible.”
He accused Labour of “buying” their green policy from eco mob Just Stop Oil. Labour have taken £1.5m in donations from JSO donor Dale Vince.
The minister said: “What do they [Just Stop Oil] demand? Stop giving oil and gas licences.
“What does Labour’s Keir Starmer deliver? They won’t provide any more oil and gas licences. It is crazy.
“How did they get all of these things? They paid £1.5m and they bought the policy.”
His fiery putdown is the most ferocious attack on Labour’s green mission by a Cabinet minister yet.
In stark contrast, Mr Shapps says he wants to “max out” the amount of oil and gas drilling we do in the North Sea – suggesting more licences will be doled out soon.
His words come as No10 kickstarts energy week.
Mr Shapps and PM Rishi Sunak are meeting leaders from the UK oil, gas and green energy sector all week to help power up the sector.
A Labour spokeswoman hit back at Mr Shapps.
She said: “Every family and business is paying the price in higher energy bills of 13 years of failed Tory energy policy.
“Labour will take no lessons from the party that banned onshore wind, crashed the market for solar, stalled energy efficiency, haven’t got any new nuclear plants started, and left us at the mercy of tyrants across the world.”