Sunak: Labour’s ‘energy surrender’ is being dictated by Just Stop Oil ... and only winner is Putin
THE Labour Party’s energy policy is being written by eco-zealots from Just Stop Oil, Rishi Sunak claimed last night.
In a ferocious attack on Keir Starmer’s green plans, the Prime Minister said the activists were ‘essentially leading us into an energy surrender’.
Labour has accepted £1.5million from Just Stop Oil funder Dale Vince over several years, and now wants to ban future North Sea oil and gas drilling.
Mr Sunak accused Sir Keir of putting ideology ahead of jobs and energy security – and said the only people who stood to benefit from his plan were ‘dictators and autocrats like Vladimir Putin’.
He was asked by reporters on his trip to Washington DC whether Labour should come clean over the influence the party’s financial backers have on policy.
He replied: ‘It does appear that these kind of eco-zealots at Just Stop Oil are writing Keir Starmer’s energy policy and, not content with disrupting our summer and cherished sporting events, they are essentially leading us into an energy surrender.
‘My view is we should focus on energy security, not weakness and dependency which seems to be the Labour Party’s policy. They are putting ideology ahead of jobs, ahead of investment, and ahead of our energy security – that is wrong and it’s not the right policy for the UK.’
Mr Sunak said the decision to ban future North Sea oil and gas drilling,
‘Putting ideology ahead of jobs’
which mirrors the main demand of Just Stop Oil, was ‘bizarre’. He added: ‘It’s a completely bizarre policy which says “We won’t ban oil and gas, we’ll just ban British oil and gas”.
‘The only people that benefit from Keir Starmer’s energy policy are dictators and autocrats like Vladimir Putin.’
His attack came after Labour was challenged to return the cash from Mr Vince, the boss of green energy firm Ecotricity.
His donations, made over several years, include £500,000 last October.
The 61-year-old former New Age traveller has also made donations to Sir Keir and his deputy Angela Rayner.
MPs, businesses and unions have criticised Labour over its plans to ban new extraction licences in the North Sea.
Offshore Energies UK, which represents the industry, warned the move would see the UK’s reliance on fossil fuel imports rise. Labour-backing unions, including the GMB, this week branded the decision ‘ a huge mistake’ and said energy plans should be built around ‘decent jobs’, not bans.
Sir Keir has tried to reassure unions that his proposal would not mean an immediate end to extraction in the North Sea.
The Labour leader said that existing licences meant the domestic oil and gas would continue to be part of the energy mix ‘for many, many years to come’.
But he said there was a ‘once-ina-generation opportunity now to seize the jobs of the future’ by embracing green energy.
Sir Keir has previously condemned the actions of Just Stop Oil, which has caused chaos at a host of high- profile sporting events, and has denied Mr Vince’s donations have any impact on
policy. Ministers have warned that Labour’s plans will drive up mortgage rates and make Britain more reliant on foreign oil and gas.
Treasury analysis suggests the idea of investing £28billion a year in tackling climate change could increase interest rates by 0.75 per cent, piling misery on millions of homeowners.
The study said a rise of that level would see the standard interest payments on a £200,000 home loan go up by £83 a month, almost
£1,000 a year. A spokesman for the Labour leader said last night: ‘Keir has been outspoken in his condemnation of Just Stop Oil which he believes has put lives and livelihoods at risk. The idea that they have influenced our policy is for the birds.
‘ The modern Labour Party doesn’t bow to fringe lobbies or extremists – every position we take and everything we do is firmly focused on providing security and opportunity for hard-working Britons.’