Kemi: End ban on drilling to help cut energy bills by £200

KEMI Badenoch will today unveil plans to slash almost £200 off energy bills as she steps up pressure on ministers to lift the ban on new drilling in the North Sea.

The Conservative leader will use a visit to a North Sea oil rig to publish proposals that would provide immediate relief from the cost-of-living crisis.

Mrs Badenoch yesterday said the plan would involve ‘scrapping the silly taxes that Ed Miliband has put on’ energy, as well as stepping up exploitation of the North Sea’s oil and gas reserves.

She also suggested the Tories could look again at fracking by increasing the ‘incentives’ for communities to sign up.

Today’s ‘cheap power plan’ would involve taking VAT off energy bills and scrapping a number of green levies.

She said it was ‘appalling’ that ministers were instead looking to ask middle-class families to subsidise the bills of those on benefits if the Iran war triggers a price spike this winter.

Mrs Badenoch acknowledged her move would not directly reduce energy prices. But she said it would boost supply, protect jobs and generate £25billion in extra tax revenue over a decade, which could be used to help cut the cost of energy.

A three-year VAT waiver would reduce bills by £94 a year. Scrapping the carbon tax on electricity bills could reduce them by £75. And removing windfarm subsidies could cut bills by another £22, taking the total reduction to £191.

BEFORE the war on Iran even started, Labour’s promises on reducing energy charges were falling asunder.

Even with Ofgem predicting a £117 drop in the average annual domestic bill from April, the cost will still be £73 higher than when Sir Keir came to power.

At the very least, Kemi Badenoch’s fourpoint plan to cut bills by removing taxes and prioritising North Sea oil drilling is a concrete proposal. It is also a lot more plausible than Labour’s dangerous pursuit of Net Zero targets.