Red Ed’s net zero ‘cult’ blasted by Tories for making Britain ‘weak’ | Politics | News
Conservatives label Ed Miliband’s net zero agenda ‘cult-like fanaticism’ (Image: Getty)
Kemi Badenoch is taking the fight over Britain’s energy future to the House of Commons on Tuesday, pushing for a parliamentary vote on two stalled North Sea projects, as Conservatives reportedly accuse Ed Miliband of displaying “cult-like fanaticism” that is “making Britain weaker and poorer”.
The opposition day motion targets Rosebank and Jackdaw – an oil field and a gas field respectively – which have been legally suspended since a Scottish court ruled in January 2025 that extraction could not proceed without a new environmental review. Although the original mining licenses were granted under the previous Conservative administration and taken over by Labor, neither project can now proceed without new ministerial approval.
But this signature does not come. Mr Miliband has placed a moratorium on new North Sea oil licenses at the center of his net zero agenda and has previously branded the prospect of developing Rosebank an act of “climate vandalism”.
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‘Madness’ will be postponed
Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho called on ministers to speed up both projects, writing in The Telegraph that further delays would be “madness”.
He said: “We must accelerate Rosebank and Jackdaw and lift heavy bans and duties in the North Sea to support Britain’s energy security.
“Kemi Badenoch knows this, and so does Keir Starmer. Unfortunately, only one of them has had the courage to say it so far.”
As oil prices rose, the chorus demanding action grew louder, GB News reported. RenewableUK, whose members build wind farms, went against expectations by calling on the Government to “get energy from the culture wars” and increase production. Offshore Energies UK has argued that oil and gas will remain a “critical role” in the country’s energy mix for decades to come, the Express reported last week. Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson has added his voice to calls to unlock the North Sea.
Printing isn’t just limited to industry. Labor’s own union allies have also sounded the alarm, with GB News warning that the livelihoods of more than 200,000 workers depend directly or indirectly on the fate of the sector.
Within the Cabinet, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is said to be quietly pushing colleagues towards greater production in the North Sea – a position that puts her on a collision course with Mr Miliband, who risks triggering a backbencher rebellion and alienating climate activists if he bows to the pressure.
Badenoch takes the fight over the North Sea to the House of Commons on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
Starmer steps back
At Monday’s House of Commons hearing, Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone pressured Sir Keir Starmer to bypass the Energy Secretary and personally approve the new licenses. The Prime Minister answered the question by saying the call was Mr Miliband’s.
But he acknowledged that hydrocarbons remain part of the picture.
“Oil and gas will be part of the mix,” Sir Keir said, adding that the Government was supporting resources “which are already being brought in in large quantities”.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t take us away from the international market. The only thing that really takes us away from the international market is renewable energy, but there needs to be a mix of that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Miliband made his position public last week, saying granting the BBC a new license “won’t take a penny off people’s bills”.
A spokesperson for the Net Zero Ministry told The Telegraph: “Our priority is to ensure a fair, orderly and prosperous transition across the North Sea, in line with our climate and legal obligations that drive our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills and good long-term jobs.”
