Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has been accused of 'peddling a dangerous fantasy' over her plan to reverse the ban on new oil and gas licences in the North Sea. The criticism comes from the renewable energy campaign group Uplift, which described the policy as 'vapid, political game playing at the expense of ordinary people'.
Badenoch is expected to launch a 'get Britain drilling' campaign on an oil rig near Aberdeen on Monday, calling on the government to lift the suspension of licences to reduce energy prices. However, critics argue that new drilling would have little effect on household bills, as the UK's production is too small to influence global prices.
Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said: 'Kemi Badenoch is peddling a dangerous fantasy on the North Sea and is completely out of step with the UK public who just want an affordable supply of energy. More drilling will do absolutely nothing to lower energy bills, a fact that she knows and members of her Cabinet have admitted.'
In 2023, when serving as energy secretary, Conservative MP Claire Coutinho admitted that new licences 'wouldn't necessarily bring energy bills down' but argued they would improve security of supply. Coutinho now holds the energy brief in Badenoch's shadow cabinet.
Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy, said that drilling for more gas in the North Sea 'would have little effect on prices' because the UK is 'highly integrated' with European and global markets. A Labour spokesperson said: 'The awkward truth is Badenoch's own shadow energy secretary admitted that new licences would not cut energy bills.'
