Boris Johnson is advertising carbon reduction with an energy crisis
sir – The Prime Minister estimates that there is a “six out of 10” chance of getting other countries to sign up to financial and environmental targets ahead of November’s Cop26 climate change meeting.
In reality, it must be zero out of 10. Does the Prime Minister seriously think any government would sign up to a policy that is causing an energy crisis in Britain? Carbon taxes are designed to eliminate coal and gas; renewables are useless when the wind doesn’t blow.
This crisis is self-inflicted. In the past 10 years Britain has decommissioned reliable power stations producing half our peak energy needs, closed valuable gas storage facilities and now relies on other countries to provide substantial amounts of electricity.
The Prime Minister should abandon the unattainable net-zero policies until we have a reliable source of electricity.
All Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, can come up with is yet more renewables. These already add over £440 to everyone’s electricity bill just to pay for the billions in subsidies. Goodness knows what our bills will be when Ofgem increases the cap. David Watson
Beccles, Suffolk
sir – The Business Secretary says not to worry, the lights won’t go out this winter. Time to buy candles.
Barry Tighe
Woodford Green, Essex
sir – Who could possibly have thought that such a deeply un-conservative policy as Theresa May’s price cap on domestic gas prices would have such huge unintended consequences? John Fishley
London SE1
sir – In 1994, the Thatcher administration imposed VAT on electricity and gas bills at a rate of 8 per cent – an outrageous tax on cooking and keeping warm in chilly Britain.
The Labour Party rightly opposed it and committed itself to abolish it. When it won the 1997 election, the VAT was reduced to 5 per cent, the most that could legally be done under EU law. We are now free of that obligation.
The Government could alleviate the price problem by removing the remaining 5 per cent and transferring that loss to such non-essentials as tobacco and gambling. Alcohol should be left alone because various governments have done enough damage to the pub industry.
Simon Bathurst Brown
Camberley, Surrey
sir – Conflict prevails at the moment: do we ventilate or do we insulate?
We are on the one hand urged to ventilate private and public buildings in order to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus. On the other hand, a vocal group commands us to insulate our homes to fight global warming by reducing the use of fossil fuels.
What are responsible citizens to do: save their neighbour or save their planet?
Christine I Peel
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire