Labour has hit back at Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho’s claims its energy policy would be “a spectacular act of economic self-harm”.
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer’s party branded the Conservative MP’s comments in a piece for the Daily Telegraph as “desperate nonsense”.
“Labour will bring in a proper windfall tax on the oil and gas companies making record profits, and raise billions more in tax revenue which we would use to invest in homegrown clean energy through Great British Energy,” the spokesperson added.
“The Conservatives oppose this plan because they are too weak to tax the oil and gas giants fairly. Every family has paid the price of 14 years of failed Conservative energy policy in higher bills, and remain exposed to future energy shocks which could cost households over £900 on their bills.
“All this latest desperate attack reveals is that, the Conservatives’ “plan” will actually leave the country twice as exposed in 2035 than it already is now, whereas independent analysis shows Labour’s plans will lower imports, lower bills, and increase our energy security.”
Coutinho argued in the piece that Labour’s plan would shut down the North Sea and would be “a triple whammy for the UK: jobs lost, higher taxes and investment destroyed”. “Labour’s energy policy is a spectacular act of economic self-harm,” she claimed.