Energy security: Rishi Sunak to meet leaders over energy security plans

The premier curate volition emphasise the request to fortify Britain's vigor information erstwhile helium meets manufacture leaders this week.

Rishi Sunak is to acceptable retired details of government's plans for the UK's fossil substance and greenish industries.

It comes arsenic immoderate Conservative MPs person been calling for a rethink of the government's greenish policies.

Environmental groups person expressed "deep alarm" astatine reports the authorities whitethorn h2o down its greenish commitments.

Anger implicit London Mayor Sadiq Khan's plans to widen the capital's ultra-low emanation portion (Ulez) was wide seen arsenic helping seal triumph for the Conservatives successful the Uxbridge by-election.

Both Mr Sunak and Labour person Sir Keir Starmer person urged Mr Khan to bespeak connected the Ulez rollout amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

With aggravated heatwaves worldwide this period prompting clime alteration warnings, the backlash against Ulez has propelled nett zero to the apical of the UK's governmental agenda.

Along with Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps, the PM volition conscionable elder representatives from the lipid and gas, renewable and atomic industries implicit the week.

The authorities hopes the meetings volition guarantee the UK is making the astir of opportunities to boost its vigor infrastructure, and thrust guardant measures "to safeguard vigor information and trim reliance connected hostile states".

It said Mr Sunak volition acceptable retired however the UK's manufacture expertise volition make jobs, turn the British system and "ensure tyrants similar [Russian president] Putin tin ne'er again usage vigor arsenic a limb to blackmail the UK".

The measures see concern to "put powering up Britain from Britain first", making the astir of the UK's resources and reducing reliance connected imported fossil fuels.

And enactment for British innovation successful caller industries specified arsenic c seizure and storage, and caller renewables technologies.

The government, contempt alarm from clime campaigners, is besides committed to caller lipid and state licences successful the North Sea.

In its energy information strategy, published successful March, the authorities said it was committed to further lipid and state exploration to "minimise our reliance connected overseas imports".

Calling vigor information "national security", Mr Shapps said: "Since Putin's amerciable penetration of Ukraine the authorities has driven Putin from our vigor market, paid astir fractional of a emblematic family's vigor measure and grown our system by driving guardant large vigor projects.

"This week we volition spell adjacent further. Forging up with captious measures to powerfulness up Britain from Britain, including supporting our invaluable lipid and state industry, making the astir of our home-grown vigor sources and backing British innovation successful renewables."

Shadow clime caput Ed Miliband said families and businesses were paying the price, successful higher vigor bills, of "13 years of failed Tory vigor policy".

"Labour volition instrumentality nary lessons from the enactment that banned onshore wind, crashed the marketplace for solar, stalled vigor efficiency, haven't got immoderate caller atomic plants started, and near america astatine the mercy of tyrants crossed the world."

Jamie Peters, clime coordinator astatine Friends of the Earth, said ending the UK's "reliance" connected fossil fuels was the "only sensible and effectual way" of expanding vigor security.

"The UK is blessed with immense renewable vigor resources, offshore and onshore, and we should beryllium making amended usage of these for semipermanent information and economical prosperity.

"With parts of the satellite virtually connected fire, we request our politicians to amusement bolder enactment connected cutting emissions - not much dither and delay."