The UK’s electricity grid came worryingly close to blackouts yesterday – just 580 MW shy of the lights going out – in what independent energy consultant Kathryn Porter described as the “tightest day since 2011 or before”. National Grid ESO had to issue its first Electricity Market Notice of the winter, along with a third Capacity Market Notice, though the latter was quickly binned. No surprise that cold weather means more heating and energy…
A sharp drop in wind output combined with limited electricity imports from Europe left the grid scrambling to keep the lights on. Yet Red Ed is still pushing to fast-track planning permission for a wave of new wind farms — despite the inconvenient truth that these turbines have to be switched off when there’s too much wind and the grid can’t handle it. Meanwhile Labour is ploughing ahead with their plan to make wind and solar the backbone of our energy system to hit 95% renewable energy by 2030. Never mind that they’re effectively useless when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine…
The UK shelled out a record amount in subsidies to renewables last year, according to Net Zero Watch. The green energy cash gush under the Contracts for Difference scheme—designed to prop up low-carbon electricity generation—has smashed through 2020’s eye-watering £2.3 billion record, with the figure for 2024 likely to hit £2.4 billion. Meaning Britons are being charged £20 million per day under this one scheme alone…
Net Zero Watch director Andrew Montford didn’t hold back, asking: “How much more pain does the Government think the public and the economy can take?” Meanwhile, the OBR forecasts more renewable schemes, including the Capacity Market and Warm House Discount, are set to blow past records in 2024–25 too. This comes as bill payers forked out nearly £1 billion last year to pay wind farms to switch off because the national grid couldn’t handle the load. Red Ed ignoring Trump’s breezy wisdom to “open up the North Sea” and “Get rid of Windmills”…
Labour’s at it again, rolling out yet another plan – this time Ed Miliband’s grandly titled “Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.” The plan, complete with a chirpy press release, boldly claims it will decarbonise the electricity grid while dangling the promise of “lower bills.” Though there’s no mention of Labour’s pre-election pledge that these changes would “help families save up to £300 off their energy bills.” Instead, the document hedges its bets, warning that “the precise impact we will see on bills in coming years will depend on a range of factors.” Reassuring…
Miliband hit the airwaves on the Today Programme this morning to defend his plan. Nick Robinson pressed him on the obvious flaw: what happens when “the wind doesn’t blow” or “the sun doesn’t shine?” Miliband responded with that’s “why we have [oil and gas] reserves” – an ironic nod given that renewables accounted for just 8.3% of the UK’s energy yesterday. Miliband’s plan to hit 95% renewable energy by 2030 still looks up in the air…
When pushed on why his plan wouldn’t necessarily lower bills, referencing the National Energy System Operator boss who admitted lowering prices for consumers was “not what we set out to do”, Miliband admitted that they said there was “no guarantee” his plan would lead to lower bills. Miliband finished strong: “It’s exciting… there will be bumps along the way… but this transition is unstoppable.” More hot air…
It’s safe to say there are some conflicting views in Labour over its fateful decision in 2013 to block bombing of Syria after Assad used chemical weapons on his own civilians. On Question Time last night Health Secretary Wes Streeting pointed out that “if the West had acted faster, Assad would have been gone” and stressed that “the hesitation of this country and the United States created a vacuum that Russia moved into and kept Assad in power for much longer.” A view shared by Middle East analysts and figures including Ed Miliband’s own brother…
Asked on Sky News about the 2013 vote Miliband was defiant about his decision and hit out at Streeting: “The view that some people seem to be expressing about history is just wrong.”
“There was no plan for what this British involvement would mean where it would lead and what the consequences would be, and I believe that in the light of the Iraq War we could never send British troops back into combat unless we were absolutely clear about what a plan was including what an exit strategy was. To those people who say that President Assad would have fallen if we bombed him in 2013 that’s obviously wrong because president Trump bombed president Assad in 2017 and 2018 so he didn’t fall.”
Some might point out that the actual result of our non-action was to stay the United States, and that in 2013 Russia was obviously not entrenched in Syria, as it was during subsequent Trump-led attacks on chemical production facilities which Miliband mentions. Quite recent history, that…
Pat McFadden has famously spoken of his regret in voting according to Miliband’s instruction while Culture Secreatary Lisa Nandy has previously echoed Wes in saying she thinks “there are consequences of actions but sometimes there are consequences of inaction, too. So I really struggle with how the world seems to have just turned away [from Syria].” Many view Lammy, Miliband, and Co’s jubilation at Assad’s fall with a curled lip…
British bill payers are being hit with an “absurd” price tag to keep wind turbines idle because the grid can’t handle the energy they produce. In just the first 11 months of this year, a staggering £1 billion was forked over to wind farms to waste 6.6 gigawatt hours of power. Up from £779 million in 2023 and £945 million in 2022…
As Ed Miliband eagerly rolls out more wind turbines, the lack of infrastructure to store or transport energy means turbines are having to be switched off when it’s too windy. Meanwhile, Labour plans to fast-track planning permission for a wave of new wind farms as part of the £40 billion Net Zero plan, all while the grid can’t even handle the current amount. Red Ed might want to stash some of that cash to cover the inevitable payouts to wind farms when they can’t handle the energy overload…
Ofgem has announced this morning that the new energy price cap will rise in the New Year to £1,738 from £1,717 – a 1.2% rise. On top of last round’s hike…
Expectations are that the cap will stay high into next summer. Miliband, who’s stayed quiet on his pre-election promise to cut bills by £300, says the rise will “cause concern for families” and blames the “rollercoaster of global fossil fuel markets.” Labour’s line as usual is that “the Conservatives trashed Britain’s energy security.” No mention of Labour’s “fully costed plan to freeze energy bills“ then…
Starmer spoke to Nick Robinson for the Today Programme on Polanski’s criticism of the Golders Green police officers:
“I want everybody just to imagine what it might be like. You’re trying to arrest someone who has already attacked two people and has no regard for life. We know that tasers were fired. I know from my own experience with the police, that there are only two shots in a taser, and once you’ve shot them, there’s nothing left. There’s a guy on the ground, he’s got a rucksack on. And I don’t know what was going through the mind of those officers, but if I was there, I’d be thinking, he’s going to detonate something. He’s going to blow me up and everybody around here. In those circumstances, I think you can quite see why what could have gone through their mind is, we need to do whatever we can to disable this guy…
Now, when I then see Zack Polanski come out and retweet or support a criticism of that, I think it’s disgraceful… He’s not fit to lead any political party.”
