Boris Johnson has taken a swipe at his likely successor Liz Truss over her support for fracking, declaring that it was not a panacea for Britain’s energy supply needs. Speaking in Suffolk, Mr Johnson committed £700 million to build a new nuclear plant at the nearby Sizewell site.
He said a new nuclear power station would help to address the energy needs of the next generation but he said that renewables were critical to the country’s strategy for generating electricity.
“I tell everybody who thinks hydrocarbons are the only answer, we should get fracking and all that: offshore wind is now the cheapest form of electricity in this country. Offshore wind is nine times cheaper than gas,” he said.
“On fracking, I am not intellectually, morally opposed to this at all. I think that if we could frack effectively and cheaply in this country, that would be a positive and beneficial thing. I have to say, I am just slightly dubious it will prove to be a panacea. I would much rather that we focused on the things where we are brilliant and where the environmental damage is really minimal, like offshore wind.”
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Ms Truss has promised to end an effective ban on fracking and she wants to issue up to 130 new drilling licenses for oil and gas in the North Sea. Ms Truss has benefited from anger among Conservative members at Mr Johnson’s ousting, which many of them blame on her rival Rishi Sunak.
But some of her allies fear that the outgoing prime minister could be a disruptive influence on the backbenches and he refused on Thursday to say whether he would withdraw from politics or remain an MP after he leaves Downing Street next week.
“Only time will tell, is my answer on that one,” he said.
“My intention — and what I certainly will do — is give my full and unqualified support to whoever takes over from me.”
Mr Johnson blamed Tony Blair and former Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, who governed in coalition with the Conservatives from 2010 to 2015, for failing to invest in new nuclear energy plants. Mr Clegg rejected nuclear while in government on the basis that a new plant would not be completed until 2021 or 2022.
“Gee thanks Nick. It is because of that kind of myopia that here in the country that first split the atom we have only 15 per cent of our electricity from nuclear — and it is falling,” he said.
“With the prophetic candour and clarity of someone about to hand over the torch of office, I say ‘go nuclear and go large and go with Sizewell C’.”
Labour’s shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said Mr Johnson’s words were an insult to the millions of families that are facing an energy bills crisis.
“Whilst the oil and gas giants rake in record profits, Boris Johnson and his zombie government put their interests ahead of the British people. And one of the reasons bills are so high is the appalling legacy this government has on clean power. They blocked onshore wind, failed to deliver a warm homes plan to cut bills, and delayed on expanding solar and nuclear power. Boris Johnson leaves office with energy bills rocketing, our energy security weakened, and having totally failed to confront the climate crisis,” he said.
