The decision by the government to close the UK's largest gas storage facility in 2017 was “completely wrong” and has cost the country nearly £1.7 billion, according to Labour.
Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas Symonds said it meant Britain was less able to cope with the energy shock sparked by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said: “The government has completely failed on energy security and yet again it’s a way in which they’ve made this cost-of-living crisis even worse." Report by Buseld. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas Symonds said it meant Britain was less able to cope with the energy shock sparked by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said: “The government has completely failed on energy security and yet again it’s a way in which they’ve made this cost-of-living crisis even worse." Report by Buseld. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 The government has to be judged on its actions, not its words.
00:03 And in allowing the rough gas storage facility
00:06 to close in 2017, for a number of years
00:12 afterwards, completely the wrong decision.
00:14 They've cost the UK probably around about 1.7 billion
00:18 pounds.
00:19 We are in a situation where we're only storing around
00:23 about 2% of our annual demand for gas.
00:26 It's so far behind other countries.
00:28 Places like France, Germany, Holland, Italy,
00:32 they are storing between 25% and 37%
00:36 of their annual demand for gas.
00:38 And of course, that meant they were in a much better position
00:42 when it came to the energy shock as a consequence of Putin's
00:47 illegal invasion of Ukraine.
00:50 The government has completely failed on energy security.
00:55 And yet again, it's the way in which
00:56 they've made this cost of living crisis even worse.