‘When an idea becomes immune to scrutiny, it is precisely then that scrutiny is most needed. That definitely applies in the case of Britain’s rush to net zero, because in our haste, we risk undermining our economy, our energy security and, ultimately, the resilience we will need to face the future. Caring for the environment is necessary, reducing pollution is noble, and innovation in energy is essential, but pursuing an inflexible target at any cost without regard for the consequences is madness.’
So said my colleague Bradley Thomas MP in the Opposition Day debate on the 24th of March 2026 and I am providing the link to the full transcript here: Oil and Gas - Hansard - UK Parliament
Let me be clear – I do not believe the scientific evidence pointing to climate change and rising global temperatures can be denied. Nor do I think this is an either/or situation: I still believe a transition to clean energy is the right direction of travel and I am proud that, while only 6.5% of electricity came from renewables in 2010, the proportion was over 50% when the Conservatives left office in 2024.
Mims Davies MP Statement on The Climate Change Act | Mims Davies
However, I believe we’ve got the balance wrong. This Labour Government is rushing headlong to meet its, frankly unattainable, self-imposed target of clean power by 2030 through making our energy system over reliant on renewables such as wind and solar which do not, and cannot, produce constant electricity while imposing huge costs on businesses and households via subsidies and levies, and continuing their policy of ending North Sea oil and gas production prematurely.
A heavily renewable energy system ties the UK to the price of gas because we need a dispatchable back-up for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. In the UK, that back-up is provided by gas which we can control. If we did not have reliable gas power plants we would have black outs. It is also worth noting that gas does not ‘set the price’ of electricity bill, it only sets the wholesale price portion of the bill – about 25% of the average electricity bill once you discount the government-imposed Carbon Tax.
As a Conservative, it is one of my core beliefs that we leave behind a better environmental inheritance for future generations. As such, I am increasingly worried by the hugely negative impact Labour’s renewables infrastructure programme is having on our environment – on our farmland, our beautiful and historic landscapes, our peatlands, moorlands, our woodlands – we seem to be destroying nature in order to save it as we carpet the land with industrial solar farms and giant metal windmills.
Industrial Solar and Wind Farms April 26
It is also really important here to point out, as another colleague Sir Alec Shelbrooke MP did in the debate, that,
‘in the push for renewables, we are entirely reliant on the processing being done in China on the other side of the world. The Government talk about not being reliant on petrochemical dictators, but they seem perfectly happy to be reliant on renewable dictators’.
Climate change is a global challenge and I share concerns that the Government's excessive, some might say, obsessive, focus on reducing domestic emissions is burdening families and businesses with higher energy bills that are simply not affordable and are risking our country’s future.
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By all projections, in 205 this country will still be dependent on oil and gas in all scenarios. Even the Climate Change Commission says we will need oil and gas for decades to come. We must stop this narrative that we are reducing demand for oil and gas by shutting down domestic production. We aren’t. We are simply choosing to import it instead. As my colleague Gregory Stafford MP stated,
‘In 2024 alone, we imported more than $11 billion-worth of crude from Norway. At the same time, liquefied natural gas shipped from abroad can carry up to four times the emissions of gas produced here at home. This is not environmental leadership, but carbon outsourcing with a higher bill attached—a bill that is being paid by British businesses and families, who are facing some of the highest energy costs in Europe’
In addition, by banning new oil and gas licenses and charging effective marginal tax rates of over 100% on some companies, we have seen an increase of dirtier LNG imports by 40% from some countries like Qatar while British production is in free fall. By contrast, every molecule of gas produced in the North Sea, by the UK, goes directly into our grid, carrying a far lower emissions price tag. In addition, it does not and cannot get caught in the Strait of Hormuz or anywhere else.
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Up until this point, we have, to our credit, been attempting to undertake one of the most rapid energy transitions ever undertaken by an advanced economy. However, we are now seeing and feeling the consequences of this political choice and we do need to think again, hard, about what our priorities and aims are. As Bradley Thomas MP pointed out,
‘Entire industries are being reshaped or phased out, and energy systems built over decades are being dismantled in a matter of years. And who bears the cost? It is not abstract. It is households facing rising energy bills, businesses struggling with higher operating costs, and manufacturers deciding whether to stay in Britain or to relocate to countries with cheaper, more reliable energy.’
‘The reality is that choices made by this Government continue to hollow out our industrial base, not because we lack skill or ambition but because energy, which is the lifeblood of industry, has become prohibitively costly. Energy security is not a theoretical concept; it is the difference between stability and vulnerability. It is the ability to heat our homes, power hospitals and keep the economy running, no matter what is happening anywhere else in the world. Yet at this moment, when we should be strengthening our domestic energy supply, we are choosing to restrict it.’
There is energy derived from oil and gas and there is energy derived from electricity. Another colleague Harriet Cross MP, who spoke very passionately on behalf of workers in the oil and gas sector in the debate, stated very clearly that 70% of the UK’s energy comes from the former. We need oil and gas in our energy mix and I know the Labour Government acknowledge this fact.
Claire Coutinho MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy, opened our final Opposition Day debate before the Easter Recess on the 24th of March to bring this issue to the attention of the House. She opened by asking,
‘What do RenewableUK, Scottish Renewables, Greg Jackson from Octopus, the chair of Great British Energy, the unions and the Tony Blair Institute all have in common? They all think that the Labour party has got this wrong; they all think that we should make the most of our oil and gas in the North Sea. They are some of the most powerful advocates for clean energy in this country, they are the great and the good of the Labour left, and they all get that shutting down the North Sea is an act of economic self-harm—an unforgivable own goal when it comes to Britain’s energy security. The question is: why does the Labour party not get that? Let us go through the arguments, one by one.’
I would encourage all my constituents to read the debate transcript for themselves as the Shadow Secretary of State addresses, head on, the arguments I hear from campaign groups, these being:
1. North Sea oil and gas all gets sold abroad so does not help our energy security
2. Maximising our own resources makes us more reliant on fossil fuels
3. Drilling will not help reduce costs for ordinary people
4. Drilling our own gas and oil, as opposed to importing it, is ‘climate vandalism’
5. New fields will take too long to get up and running
My constituents may not be aware that practically 100% of the gas we extract from the North Sea, we use domestically. It currently makes up around half of our supply and, not only is it used as a vital back up for our unreliable renewables generated electricity without which households around the country would already be experiencing black outs, it is absolutely crucial for many of our foundational industries and the hundreds of thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs and communities they support. These too are under threat from Labour’s Net Zero zealotry. I was not surprised to hear bitter comparisons being made to the fate of the miners being made by left wing MPs in the debate.
It is an undeniable fact that not only are our UK industries declining as a result of extraordinarily high energy prices but we are, incredibly, seeing whole swathes of industries unable to afford the rising cost of energy and simply closing down. For example, the famous pottery company, Denby, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators in March 2026 citing escalating employment costs and soaring energy costs. It is incredibly sad to see a 217-year-old business that has survived world wars, pandemics, and the global financial crisis go under as a result of this Government's economic mismanagement.
Denby's energy costs have soared from £1.25 million before 2022 to between £2.5-3 million as a result of the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband's, ideological obsession with net zero policies regardless of the cost. Tragically we have seen countless such examples since this Government came to office and Ministers seem completely impervious to the real-world consequences of their zealotry.
I know businesses too are struggling badly and Stuart Machin, the boss of Marks and Spencer’ in the Telegraph on the 26th of March, accused the Government of driving up energy bills, saying so-called “policy costs” now accounted for more than half of his company’s energy bill and had “nothing to do with the price of gas and oil”.’ I doubt there is a single person in the country who is unaware of the toll this is taking on hospitality, farming, high street businesses, family businesses, the transport industry – the list goes on.
Turning to Britain’s domestic energy bills, I know so many households are struggling. Despite the Labour Government’s promise to lower energy bills for families by £300, average annual household bills have increased by hundreds of pounds since the Government took office, and Ministers seem determined to force the higher energy prices being demanded by wind and solar developers onto families. Leaving the UK solely reliant on intermittent renewables and costly foreign imports of oil and gas to make up the shortfall will only make this problem worse. This is costing working households dearly. Despite this, Labour has still not put energy security above ideology. Please click on this link if you are interested in reading my latest statement on fuel duty:
Mims Davies MP Statement on Fuel Duty | Mims Davies
The energy price cap, the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge for each unit of energy used, is due to fall between 1 April and 30 June 2026. However, I understand the energy regulator, Ofgem, which sets the cap has warned further disruption to global gas markets due to the conflict in the Middle East could cause prices to rise still further after June. I believe this highlights the importance of ensuring the UK has a secure, domestic supply of gas to protect against future supply shocks. The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP is very clear that
‘Producing our own oil and gas has no connection with our consumption of oil and gas. The biggest barrier to electrification is not our oil and gas industry; it is the Labour party, making electricity more and more expensive by piling levies and taxes on to people’s bills. Using electricity to heat our homes or drive our cars can help make us resilient during a price spike, but the problem is that our electricity is too expensive. The Secretary of State, by piling cost after cost on to people’s electricity bills, is making the problem worse.’
‘ if the Government keep making electricity more expensive, no one will want to use it.’
The Bank of England noted the conflict in the Middle East came when ‘growth was below potential’ and there is high economic inactivity. We know that in Government, there will always be external shocks – the last Conservative government faced the pandemic, Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and globally high inflation. It is the responsibility of government to prepare for external shocks, however, unlike the last government, which reduced the deficit by 80 per cent, Labour have made irresponsible economic choices leading to ballooning welfare payments and rising unemployment leaving Britain in a far weaker position to respond. It is simply not good enough for Rachel Reeves to point to global events as an excuse for her poor policy choices.
Securing a cheap, abundant supply of energy should now be the top priority of the UK's energy policy. As the world grows more dangerous, we must prioritise our energy and industrial resilience. The oil and gas industry is a critical asset and I believe we must do all we can to maximise our economic recovery from our own resources.
However, as Bradley Thomas MP explained,
‘This is not just about energy; it is also about jobs and public finances—something the Government know only too well, following their economic choices. The North Sea has long been a vital source of revenue for the Treasury, creating billions of pounds that support public services and infrastructure. Analysis by Offshore Energies UK shows that there is £165 billion of estimated economic value in the North Sea.’
Conversely, Claire Coutinho MP said,
‘Destroying our oil and gas industry means some £25 billion in lost tax revenue for the public finances over the next decade. The Government say they are taxing the wealthy. Are they in the real world? They are taxing anybody with a pulse: pensioners, middle earners, small businesses, farmers, drivers—if they breathe, the Government are taxing them, and people are suffering. The Government could instead be getting that tax revenue from a thriving industry. The markets are charging us 5% for our borrowing. That is because they think we borrow too much and earn too little. There is an easy way for the country to earn some more money: we can make the most of our own resources and back the North Sea, which would drive down costs for everyone. It is unfashionable at the moment to talk about balance of payments, but if we keep sending billions of pounds abroad and rack up the credit card bill, that causes costs for everybody.’
Leaning into our homegrown North Sea gas and oil production will help to employ around hundreds of thousands of skilled people in the country directly, and indirectly thorough deep supply chains. It would provide huge wells of tax revenues, help with our balance of payments (national debt) and bring down costs for everyone. And this is the fundamental point, said Gregory Stafford MP,
‘electricity accounts for only around a fifth of our total energy use. The rest still comes from oil and gas for heating, transport and industry. We are not about to replace that overnight; nor are there credible plans to do so from this Government. The choice is not between oil and gas or renewables. We need both. The real choice is whether we produce that energy here under our own environmental standards, supporting British jobs and British revenues, or whether we import it from abroad at a higher cost and with higher carbon’.
‘The British public understand this. Around three quarters say that we should produce our own oil and gas rather than rely on imports, and they are right. Our plan recognises that. It backs domestic production, cuts unnecessary net zero taxes and delivers cheaper energy while maintaining our environmental commitments. I say to Ministers: stop outsourcing our energy; stop exporting our jobs; and stop pretending that dependence is a virtue.’
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We’ve made it clear: the 2050 Net Zero target is impossible without causing a serious drop in living standards and deindustrialising our country at a time of increasing geo-political turmoil. We all want to protect the environment but not by imposing unfair costs on working people and businesses.
As I said at the start of this statement – it is not a question of either/or, renewables or gas & oil but a question of balance. To lower our reliance on oil and gas whilst enjoying economic growth and better living standards, we must make electricity cheap, prioritise our domestic energy and industrial resilience, balancing growth, development and transition.
Labour has got it wrong. I believe our plan is the right one for Britain.
Click on this link to read about:
The Conservative Cheap Power Plan and Energy Resilience Strategy April 26
