Starmer’s energy supply plans will take Britain back to the dark ages

We are in a global race for energy. Countries that source enough will thrive, countries that don’t will be colder and poorer. That’s why industry leaders, academics and even union leaders have all been calling out the dangers of Labour’s plans for Britain’s energy supplies.

From increased reliance on foreign imports with higher emissions, lost jobs, and even blackouts, what’s clear is that Labour would take Britain back to the dark ages.

In a spectacular act of economic self-harm, Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband would shut down our thriving oil and gas sector leaving hundreds of thousands of workers stranded. This would be nothing short of a disaster for you, your family and the country.

North Sea gas is essential for our domestic energy needs - all of the gas goes straight into Britain’s pipes and makes up half of our usage - but it’s also much greener than liquified imports. We know we’ll still need oil and gas for the decades ahead, so not using our own would mean more reliance on foreign imports.

It would be a triumph of ideology over common sense. Exporting jobs for the sake of importing virtue signalling. But what else would expect from Keir Starmer’s Labour Party?

We have just seen what happened when Russia waged war by weaponising energy prices. In an uncertain world, our energy supply needs to be more independent, not less. Beyond removing Trident, which Angela Rayner advocated in recent times, I can think of few things more damaging to our national security than making us more dependent on foreign energy supplies.

Just look at New Zealand, where a similar ban was tried. After production declined, putting their energy security in jeopardy and with an increased threat of blackouts, they have had to reverse their policies and start drilling once more. We cannot risk the same thing happening here.

Labour’s plans would also destroy the 200,000 high-wage, high-skill jobs which depend on a thriving oil and gas sector in the UK.  Worse still, their flagship energy policy ‘GB Energy’, won’t even produce any energy. It would be another pointless quango run by politicians rather than business, wasting your money. It will replace a fraction of the energy investment we are set to lose overall, thanks to Labour’s damaging policies.

In an increasingly insecure world, now is not the time to play politics with something so important to our national security.

On the other hand, our clear plan prioritises energy security, protecting 200,000 jobs and supports our plan to be sensible about the energy transition, making sure that it works for Britain and doesn’t heap unnecessary costs onto hardworking families.

The Conservatives are the only party backing North Sea oil and gas, protecting jobs and helping us meet domestic energy demand. We’ve built more offshore wind than any other country bar China and we will treble our capacity going forward. I’ve set out the largest nuclear expansion plan in 70 years with large-scale, small modular and advanced nuclear reactors on their way.

The choice is clear. Our clear plan will boost security, increase investment and turbocharge our domestic energy supply. Labour’s proposals will destroy jobs, raise taxes and hike up your bills.

In a truism of all Labour governments – once they have run out of money, they will come for yours.