When the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change isn’t telling newspapers what they can and cannot write relating to his brief, he just goes for out and out abuse of his opponents. Here is not so liberal or democratic Ed Davey today:

“Of course there will always be those with a vested interest in the status quo who seek to create doubt where there is certainty. And you will always get crackpots and conspiracy theorists who will deny they have a nose on their face if it suits them.”

Davey himself would never have a vested interest, other than last year declaring that his brother works for City law firm Herbert Smith, lawyers to eco-spivs, of course. Some might say going after conflicted climate change sceptics in the week after Tim Yeo was jettisoned and replaced on the Energy and Climate Change select committee by a man with shares in Shell is a bit brave. His entire brief is rotten to the core with MPs with vested interests…

Important changes in Number 10 this morning: no nonsense self-styled personification of blue-collar conservatism John Hayes is to become the PM’s senior party adviser. Presumably to deal with leadership mutterings among the Tory right. Michael Fallon takes over the Energy brief. He’s not exactly a tree-hugger, being Cecil Parkinson’s PPS when he was Energy Secretary in the late eighties. Just last week Fallon asked whether “specific targets, for example on climate change, are the best way of focusing our spending where it is most needed”. Nonetheless a blow for wind campaigners…

A belter of a quote in CWF’s Forward magazine today:

“Huhne’s greatest offence was not having his hands on the wheel but putting his foot on the brake of shale gas.”

He always had a way with words…

Team Osborne are kicking back at this morning’s Greenpeace fracking stunt. Occupying his constituency office seems to have backfired somewhat; a Treasury source tells Guido: “we are happy for Greenpeace to draw attention to the fact that George is fighting for cheaper energy bills for all”. Something of an own goal…

Across the street from George Osborne’s constituency office is a village green on a roundabout where teams of Greenpeace activists have constructed a huge mock-up fracking operation – presumably to show the Chancellor how safe the process can be. The drivers of the 4x4s passing the stunt will be reminded just how much shale energy will save in fuel costs. Tatton is set to become the Dallas of England sitting as it does atop reserves which will provide cheap energy for the UK’s future as we dash for gas…