Red Ed’s eco-crusade has been dubbed ‘a monumental act of political self-harm’ after he rejected calls to increase North Sea oil manufacturing
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has been accused of a ‘monumental act of political self-harm’ after he rejected calls to expand North Sea oil production as war rages in Iran.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will claim on Monday his ‘first priority’ is to ease the impact of soaring oil prices on squeezed households.
But the Conservatives warn that Mr Miliband’s obsession with Net Zero is keeping energy bills artificially high.
And union leaders say his opposition to expanding North Sea production is harming jobs and putting Britain’s energy security at risk.
Mr Miliband is under mounting pressure to issue new licences for drilling oil and gas in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, off the coast of Scotland.
But on Sunday he said the ‘one lesson’ from the Iran crisis was the need to go ‘further and faster’ towards developing ‘homegrown clean power’.
Sir Keir is set to announce tens of millions of pounds in support for families who are reliant on heating oil, which has soared in price since the start of the war. Ministers are also working on contingency plans for a wider bailout over energy bills if prices remain high when the current price cap expires at the end of June.
Subsidies are likely to be targeted at poorer families and the vulnerable but could still cost billions of pounds.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is under mounting pressure to issue new licences for drilling oil and gas off the Scottish coast
Sir Keir will say: ‘My answer is clear. Whatever challenges lie ahead, this government will always support working people.’
However, Tory energy spokesman Claire Coutinho said ministers could cut energy bills by 20 per cent immediately by ditching Mr Miliband’s green levies.
She told the BBC: ‘Before you reach for subsidies, we should be moving the cost of energy as low down as we can.’
Ms Coutinho urged Mr Miliband to change course on North Sea oil. She said it would increase supply, create jobs and generate £25billion in tax revenue which could be used to help fund support for consumers.
Unite union boss Sharon Graham said: ‘Blocking oil and gas production in the North Sea, especially now, is simply an act of monumental political self-harm.’
Mr Miliband said he was focused on his plan to switch to ‘clean power’ by 2030, adding he would fast-track plans for a new wave of windfarms and make it easier for consumers to purchase plug-in solar panels.
He said: ‘The price of gas is set on the international markets, whether it comes from the North Sea, which is an important resource, or is imported.
‘There is one lesson from this crisis… for the long term on energy policy, and that is, we need homegrown clean power that we control.’
