KEIR Starmer has slammed Boris Johnson’s handling of the energy cost crisis while doubling down on Labour’s commitment to nuclear power.
Speaking during PMQs on Wednesday, Starmer called on Johnson to force Rishi Sunak into a u-turn on the upcoming government backed £200 loan to households designed to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.
Starmer criticised the Tory scheme for being shortsighted as he claimed it relied on an eventual dip in energy prices, which is now increasingly unlikely after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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He said: “Britain can’t afford another crisis like this. We need to improve our long-term energy security. That starts with supporting new nuclear and renewables. But the conservatives have effectively banned new onshore wind. As a direct result of this shortsighted approach, we’re using more gas every year that we import from Russia.”
Johnson then highlighted Starmer’s approval of nuclear power and that he was “delighted to welcome them now into the fold” of parties supporting the use of the controversial energy source.
In response, Starmer said: “Come off it! Labour is pro-nuclear. This Prime Minister can’t get a single brick laid of a new nuclear plant.”
Commenting, Janet Fenton, co vice-chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear disarmament, said: “[Nuclear power] wouldn’t come in time to solve the energy crisis. They need to invest in renewables and they need to have the resources to be able to do that.
“We should not be considering the twin heads of the same monster, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It doesn’t make sense to resolve the energy crisis with something that is inherently extremely expensive to put together; takes a very long time before it produces any energy; and then gives us a huge problem with waste that we don’t have any means of resolving.”
The SNP have been contacted for comment.
