Miliband's Blind Push for Net Zero: Why It's Not Just Misguided, But Also Risky for Britain

SIR Jim Ratcliffe is right . . . 

The billionaire gave a chilling warning this week — about .

Ed Miliband is dangerously pursuing a fantasy of Net Zero that risks Britain’s economy and energy independenceCredit: Alamy Miliband is ignoring warnings over the worldwide oil crisis and wants to focus on clean energy

“Nothing is more important for national security than energy independence,” he argued.

“We need a rapid reassessment of our priorities. Without a reliable supply of energy, the country is crippled.”

As rocks the global economy and oil market, Britain’s slavish desire to turn ourselves into some hippy island reliant on sunshine, waves and wind to keep the lights on doesn’t just look daft, it looks dangerous.

When the sun doesn’t shine and the windmills don’t turn, instead we have to import our oil and gas at the whim of volatile markets, hostage to volatile presidents and mad mullahs fighting back.

“The disruption in the should be a wake-up call”, .

“Britain is choosing to import energy rather than produce it.”

And what did zealous Energy Secretary say last night?

“As the current Middle East conflict shows, we need to go further and faster to build the clean energy we need to get off volatile fossil fuel markets and deliver energy security for our country.”

There he goes again . . . 

The Greta-loving Marxist, who has never seen a market he doesn’t want to destroy, insists that won’t help.

He’s plain wrong. Not only would our oil flow, but the Treasury wouldn’t mind a cut of the revenue either.

Some of it could even go towards Ed’s multi-billion-a- year subsidies to energy firms and Chinese firms that he needs to hit his .

It bends logic to suggest that drilling our own oil would not leave us in a stronger position.

By not securing our own supply from our backyard we are literally the mockery of the world.

And it’s not just Sir Jimmy firing truth bullets.

Jim Ratcliffe’s warning to Ed Miliband over the country’s energy policies should be listened toCredit: PA US President Donald Trump has also called on the UK to start drilling in the North SeaCredit: Getty

As told me last week: “Open up the North Sea, immediately. Your energy prices are through the roof.”

And nor are they alone . . . 

In fact, there is a growing alliance forming across the political spectrum.

Appearing on Saves The West this week, the man, who if polls are to be believed could be in No11 in a couple of years, had a wake-up call on Net Zero.

Reform’s aspiring Chancellor told me he will: “Immediately end the ban on new oil and gas licences.

“Reform is going to end the era of naive, hopelessly naive, green politics and we’re going to put the interest of the British people first: Cheap and reliable energy.”

He accepts, “of course, it’s going to take a long time for the sector to have confidence, reinvest, use those licences, but we will be able to set the country on a long term path to greater prosperity, creating thousands of jobs and the tax revenues that flow with that”.

And what about the GMB union? Hardly frothing right-wingers.

They agree: “Oil and gas secures 200,000 jobs through direct production and supply chains.

“It delivers just under half of the UK’s domestic gas needs and over half of its oil demand. Taxes from the sector — which totalled £6.2billion in 2023/24 — in turn help pay for our public services and public investment.”

And what about the ?

“It shouldn’t have taken an Iranian attack on the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export facility in Qatar for us to realise the benefits of being able to produce our own oil and gas.”

So says .

“As the world becomes more dangerous, we must ditch fantasy Net Zero thinking and prioritise our own energy resilience.”

“All of this has shown up our luxury belief that we in Britain are better off keeping our own oil and gas in the ground while making ourselves more reliant on Qatari LNG imports.”

Luxury beliefs are spot on.

Though the Tories are to blame for all of this as much as Red Ed.

Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has pledged to put Britain’s national interests firstCredit: Reuters

Without proper scrutiny, useless , in search of a legacy for her disastrous tilt in No10, on a wave of climate alarmism and woke subservience to that hysteria.

And , always a bit suspect on the environmental stuff, took up the mantle and ran with it, bleating about turning the UK in .

Wind indeed. But better later than never for them to come round to the folly.

So what on Earth does know better than billionaires, unions, presidents and politicians of all other stripes?

I’ll leave you with the words of Jenrick . . .  his whole interview is worth a watch, even if I say so myself.

“A whole generation of politicians basically put grandstanding and posturing their own respectability, in some cases their desire to make millions of pounds on the gravy train after they left office, above the basic interests of the British people. And what happened?

“We’ve impoverished people with some of the highest energy bills in the developed world, and we have de-industrialised our country.

“We’re losing our steel industry, our car manufacturing industry.

“We basically lost our chemicals. Our fertiliser and glass sectors that once employed millions of people have just been destroyed by bad decisions by politicians. And that era is going to end.”

Here’s hoping . . . 

SIR Humphrey himself would have blushed after haggling a – only to declare it “value for money” for the taxpayer.

But his real-life protege signed off the payment, branded “hush money” by MPs, over fears the sacked ambassador could go public with embarrassing revelations.

The Foreign Office Permanent Secretary and his team were commended for “getting this settlement down this low with minimal fuss”.

Given that Sir Olly’s previous negotiating greatest hits include that saw her turfed from office, he’s showing signs of improvement.

Of course Sir Olly himself is no stranger to a reward for failure, in 2018 for his work on May’s botched deal.

No wonder Whitehall veterans have dubbed him Sir Lolly.

Sir Olly Robbins signed off on the payment to pay off the disgraced Peter MandelsonCredit: Getty – Contributor