Boris Johnson on a recent overseas trip was ambushed by a reporter who wanted to know what he was going to do about energy prices, and if he was going to scrap the climate levy and renewable subsidies.

He replied that the answer to reducing energy prices was to increase the amount generated by renewables. Either this is a religion with him, his wife, and Kwasi Kwarteng, or he is knowingly deceiving the people.

The cheapest source of heat and electricity worldwide is coal. That is why all the rest of the world is rushing to increase mining it and using it for high heat energy industry and for electricity generation. The next cheapest source of energy is gas, but not if you import the bulk of it. We have lots of coal and gas under the north of England and under the North Sea. 

Wind turbines and solar arrays are not financially viable without subsidies, and on land they incur feed-in tariff payments to the landowner. They also are intermittent and even if the number of wind turbines was quadrupled as is Boris & Carrie Johnson’s intent, they would provide no more than a sixth of our demand when there is a high pressure over the UK and North Sea. So, you still need nuclear, gas and coal and they cannot be replaced.

Domestic and commercial Energy bills could be reduced instantly by 20% if the climate levy was removed. The Climate Change Act 2008 and subsequent acts relating to the use burning of coal for electricity generation need to be repealed now and carbon taxes stopped. Reducing our 1% contribution to world emissions of CO₂ is not going the save the planet. It will make industry uncompetitive and drive the people of the UK into fuel poverty.

Antony Nailer

UK Independence Party Spokesman for Energy