Former Conservative minister Chris Skidmore has resigned as an MP, citing his disagreement with the government’s energy plans. However, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has responded by saying he “profoundly” disagrees with the decision. The resignation came ahead of a vote on a bill to guarantee annual oil and gas licensing rounds on Monday. Skidmore has claimed that the approval of such a bill would send a “global signal that the UK is rowing ever further back from its climate commitments”.
Skidmore signed the UK’s 2050 net zero commitment into law while serving as an energy minister under Theresa May. However, Hunt claimed that the country would still require “a significant proportion of our energy from fossil fuels” even after reaching net zero status. Hunt claims that domestic oil and gas is four times cleaner than imported oil and gas.
The temperature of the North Sea is of particular interest because the area which is covered by the North Sea is the highest greenhouse gas emitter in the European Union. This has led ministries to insist that legislation to secure yearly North Sea fossil fuel licensing in law will help to improve the UK’s energy security. Hunt said this week that such diversity in fuel sources is “very important for energy security as we go into transition”.
Hunt was speaking ahead of a cut in National Insurance payments that came into force on Saturday. On the topic of mortgage rates, Hunt disagreed with comments made by NatWest’s chair Sir Howard Davis, who said that it was not currently “that difficult” for people to get on the housing ladder. Hunt confirmed that the government was concerned about high mortgage rates and tough financial times for ordinary families and had given support to households
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