Government faces criticism for £22 billion spend on carbon capture projects

The Government has been criticised for spending billions connected c seizure and retention projects portion it continues with its plans to means-test the wintertime substance allowance.

Reform UK’s Richard Tice argued that millions of pensioners volition presumption the determination to walk £22 cardinal connected renewable vigor arsenic “absolutely extraordinary”.

Meanwhile, Tory erstwhile curate Andrew Murrison said the Chancellor’s determination to “magic” up wealth to money the projects is astonishing owed to her caller absorption connected fiscal “black holes”.

This comes aft Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the plans to make projects to seizure and store c emissions from energy, manufacture and hydrogen accumulation astatine a glassmaking mill successful Cheshire past week, alongside Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeves.

On Monday, Mr Miliband told the Commons the usage of c capture, utilisation and retention (CCUS) exertion signifies a “new era” of Britain’s “energy journey”.

CCUS captures the emissions from burning fuels for vigor oregon from concern processes specified arsenic cement production, and uses oregon transports them for retention permanently underground – for example, successful disused lipid fields nether the sea.

It is seen by the likes of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Climate Change Committee arsenic a cardinal constituent successful gathering targets to chopped the greenhouse gases driving clime change.

In a connection connected the projects, Mr Miliband said: “This Government is determined that arsenic we statesman the adjacent signifier of Britain’s vigor journey, we make a caller procreation of bully jobs successful our concern heartlands.

“That is wherefore connected Friday we began a caller era, arsenic Government and manufacture agreed the deals that volition motorboat Britain’s c seizure industry. This has been a agelong clip coming.”

Mr Murrison, MP for South West Wiltshire, said: “Given the Chancellor’s rhetoric astir achromatic holes, it’s possibly a small astonishing that the Government has managed to magic £22 cardinal for this, but I privation the Secretary of State good successful his plan, I anticipation it works.

“Can I inquire whether helium shares my concerns that successful doing this we’re going to trim the thrust to decarbonise industries? Just similar the usage of discarded incinerators has reduced the imperative to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste.”

Mr Miliband replied: “This is simply a semipermanent concern successful the aboriginal of the state and I deliberation the Chancellor is farsighted successful seeing the value of it.

“On the 2nd portion of his question, determination are hard to obey industries that are conscionable going to find it precise hard without c seizure to participate a decarbonised world, and we’ve got to support those industries for the future.”

This is simply a semipermanent concern successful the aboriginal of the state and I deliberation the Chancellor is farsighted successful seeing the value of it

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband

Mr Tice, who represents Boston and Skegness, said: “Ten cardinal pensioners volition find it perfectly bonzer that this Government has managed to find implicit £20 billion, erstwhile they can’t find £1 cardinal to money the wintertime substance allowance. £20 billion, Secretary of State, successful what you’ve admitted contiguous is simply a risky technology.”

He added: “This is astir £1,000 per household Secretary of State, volition this sum of taxpayers money, volition it beryllium added to wide taxation erstwhile taxes are already astatine grounds highs oregon volition it beryllium added to our vigor bills that you’ve promised volition beryllium brought down?”

Mr Miliband responded: “Here we person the enactment that claims to beryllium the enactment of moving radical opposing jobs for moving radical close crossed the country, it says each you request to cognize astir (Mr Tice).

“Outside of this House helium pretends to beryllium successful favour of bully concern jobs for Britain, successful this House helium opposes them.”