Ed Miliband has been branded an “unfit” Energy Secretary for favouring “ideology” over using Britain’s North Sea resources, as Britons continue to suffer at the petrol pumps.
Speaking to GB News, Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho launched a scathing attack on Labour’s approach to the Middle East conflict, stating they have “no excuse” for importing expensive oil and gas.
Criticising Chancellor Rachel Reeves for pushing ahead with an increase in fuel duty later this year, Ms Coutinho questioned “why on earth” she has not yet U-turned on the decision.
She argued: “I think the most important thing that people are worrying about when it comes to petrol prices is why on earth Rachel Reeves will be planning to increase fuel duty for the first time in 15 years in the autumn. That’s what we would like to see stopped.
“We kept fuel duty frozen for 15 years, and this is the exact wrong time to start increasing it, because you’re just making life worse for people who are already struggling.”
Taking aim at Labour’s approach to the North Sea, the Shadow Energy Secretary declared there is “absolutely no excuse” for Labour to be sending “billions of pounds of British money to Norway”, for the “same oil and gas that we could be drilling ourselves”.
She told GB News: “The only reason that Ed Miliband is shutting down the North Sea is because of his ideology. He calls it climate vandalism to drill in the North Sea, but somehow it’s fine to import more gas from abroad with higher emissions.
“It just doesn’t make sense. We should absolutely be making the most of our own resources.”
Claire Coutinho has hit out at Ed Miliband’s refusal to use Britain’s own resources and drill in the North Sea
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PA / GB NEWS
Laying out her own plan to use Britain’s resources in order to save Britons money on their bills, Ms Coutinho explained how they could save households “£200 off their bills” by cutting “extra taxes and levies”.
She said: “We set out is our cheap power plan, which would cut energy bills for your average household by £200 for the next three years, by taking off these extra taxes and levies that the Government is choosing to impose on people who are already struggling with high costs.
“We’ve set out a plan which also cuts electricity costs for business by 20 per cent, we’re the only party who’s got a plan for businesses as well. And we would fund it by doing things like cutting wasteful spending on heat pump subsidies, for example.”
Challenged by host Stephen Dixon on whether her plan is “fully costed”, the Tory MP confirmed it would be and it would also “make electricity much cheaper in this country”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to join an emergency virtual G7 meeting today
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GETTYShe made clear: “At the moment we’re paying a tiny amount of people enormous subsidies to get a heat pump, when actually the biggest barrier is that our electricity is too expensive.
“So we would rather take out those subsidies and make electricity much cheaper in this country, and we think that’s better for living standards, better for the economy, and better for people who want to use electricity, which is essentially what the Government is trying to do with those subsidies.
“So we take out wasteful spending, we wouldn’t cost the taxpayer a penny, and we would cut household bills by £200 for the next three years.”
Throwing criticism at Mr Miliband, Ms Coutinho said changes she had tried make in office were “sat on Ed Miliband’s desk” and were either ignored or shut down.
Ms Coutinho said: “I was legislating to protect new licences, I signed off Rosebank, a controversial decision that’s now stalled, and it’s sat on Ed Miliband’s desk.
Claire Coutinho told GB News that Ed Miliband is ‘unfit’ to be Energy Secretary
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GB NEWS
“I signed off a third large power plant in my time in office, and Ed Miliband has cancelled that. So we have no pipeline for large scale nuclear in this country outside of the ones that we started.”
Questioned by host Dawn Neesom on whether she believes Mr Miliband is “fit for purpose”, the Tory MP disagreed, arguing he is simply “run by ideology”.
She concluded: “I do not think Ed Miliband is a fit Energy Secretary, particularly because he is run by ideology. It makes absolutely no sense to shut down our own resources in the North Sea and increase our imports of gas from abroad, which has higher emissions in the name of climate change.
“That is clearly a completely absurd position, and some of the biggest advocates for climate policy agree with the Conservatives on this one that we should keep drilling in the North Sea. There is absolutely no argument for not using our own resources.”