In one of his final speeches as prime minister, Johnson is set to warn against focusing on short-term solutions and neglecting both renewable energy and a wider shift to net zero. While officials say the details of the speech have yet to be worked out, they say Johnson will stress that the development of sources such as wind power, as well as new nuclear power stations, will protect the UK from future energy crises. Truss and her rival in the Conservative leadership race, Rishi Sunak, have both called for more nuclear power. However, at times they have been particularly cautious in their comments and proposed policies on renewables. Sunak has pledged to make it even harder to get a license for onshore wind farms, while Truss has spoken out strongly against installing solar panels on agricultural land. Chris Skidmore, a former Tory minister who created the Net Zero Support Group within the parliamentary party and has become a leading Tory voice on green issues, said he wanted Truss and Sunack to understand the need to invest in renewable energy. “The reason I wanted to ensure that every candidate in the leadership contest committed to net zero was not just to ensure that the UK maintains its international leadership on climate change – it was precisely because net zero is not just about reducing emissions but defining our future energy security and economic growth,” the MP for Kingswood told the Guardian. “The private sector and international markets have already understood that investing in the energy transition is the way forward for future growth. Chris Skidmore, who created the Net Zero Advocacy Group: “Net Zero is not just about reducing emissions, it’s about defining our future energy security.” Photo: Joe Giddens/PA “Net zero is now our way out of this cost of gas crisis. We have reached a tipping point where renewables are now much cheaper than fossil fuels and I honestly believe that 2022 will be seen by historians as the year we recognized from this crisis that the world woke up to the need to provide energy sovereignty through renewables. energy sources and clean power.” Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network, which has the support of 133 Tory MPs, half the parliamentary party, said a commitment to net zero was “essential if we are to tackle our reliance on dubious schemes for the energy”. He said: “Boris Johnson is right that delivering net zero goes hand in hand with tackling the root causes of the energy crisis. Putin is arming Europe’s dependence on international gas markets for his illegal invasion of Ukraine, hoping high energy bills will weaken our resolve. “By rolling out more clean energy, such as offshore wind and insulating the UK’s housing stock, we will be less dependent on expensive natural gas, which puts a huge burden on people’s energy bills. “Boris Johnson deserves a lot of credit for supercharging the UK’s clean energy sector during his tenure. Because of these policies, we buy less expensive natural gas than we would otherwise. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “The next Prime Minister must deliver on his commitments to expand cheap renewable energy and boost energy efficiency, as well as providing immediate support to households and businesses to help them get through this winter. Doubling down to net zero is essential if we are to tackle our dependence on dubious energy regimes.” While Truss and Sunak are trying to appeal to Conservative MPs, who will choose Johnson’s successor, Tory voters appear less dogmatic on energy measures. Almost half of them now support the nationalization of British energy companies, according to a YouGov poll for The Times. Truss has pledged to suspend green levies, which fund energy efficiency schemes, which are placed on energy bills, and has said she supports fracking for shale gas if it has local support. She is also resistant to new onshore wind projects and said during a leadership event that seeing solar farms on rural land was “one of the most depressing sights” of the modern UK. A source in Truss’s campaign said she was “absolutely committed to green energy” and had expressed the need to increase supply from sources including wind and tidal power.
