Climate Change

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Relevant document: Sixth Report of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, Workforce planning to deliver clean, secure energy, HC 393, and the Government response, HC 1704.]

[Madam Deput y Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Luke Murphy, who will speak for up to 15 minutes.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Order. I am going to impose an immediate six-minute time limit, because there is a second debate to follow.

--- Later in debate ---

[Claire Young (Thornbury and Yate) (LD)]

I thank the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Luke Murphy) for securing the debate. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time and, as others have mentioned, some are pushing a false dichotomy between tackling climate change and other important things, such as saving jobs, growing the economy and cutting bills. I firmly believe that we can meet climate change targets, deliver growth, create good jobs and ease the cost of living, and that the west of England—my region—has the potential to lead the way.

In my constituency, the Severn estuary growth zone alone could deliver 15,000 jobs, including 3,000 supporting new nuclear at Oldbury. We are in the unusual position of having another former nuclear power station just up the road at Berkeley. The late and—at least by me —lamented Western Gateway partnership put together the Severn Edge proposal, which talked about having a low-carbon energy campus, which would do more than just nuclear and would link the two sites. Training would be delivered at Berkeley, and there could be a small modular reactor there directly connected to an off-taker, such as a data centre, and then Oldbury would deliver power to the grid. It is that sort of strategic vision that we need and which I am concerned that we are not getting from this Government at the moment. Having recently attended the south-west nuclear showcase at the University of Bristol, I know that the universities in our region are also supporting this through their research.

It is not just about nuclear; the Severn estuary commission last year published its report pointing the way to how we can deliver tidal power from the Severn. There is amazing hydrogen expertise in our region. At the science park just outside my constituency and possibly expanding into it, there is the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems, which looks at alternatives to the traditional fossil fuels that we use to power automotive and aerospace. There is also the National Composites Centre, which, among many other things, looks at how to deliver materials that can contain hydrogen successfully. People might not think of the west of England as a former coalmining area, because it is not as recently a coalmining area as others, but it is, and there is the potential for geothermal with heat from mine workings.

There are many opportunities in a small area, but they are not being realised because we are not getting the investment and recognition we need. I do not think our area gets the recognition that other areas, perhaps in the north or in Wales, get.

There are many smaller firms delivering things, such as Fellten, a small firm that refits classic cars with electric motors, and I could mention many other examples. Our area also has a lot of demand for retrofitting. Twenty per cent of homes in my constituency are off gas, so if we trained the workforce, we could have local people delivering cleaner, cheaper energy solutions for people to heat their homes—all the more important in the wake of the oil and liquefied petroleum gas price crisis that we have seen this week.

There is a chance to employ locally and deliver great things, but it will not happen without the skilled workforce to do it. There is a willingness for further education colleges to work together—I know because I have been talking to them—but they need seed funding to support that, which is something I raised with the Skills Minister last January. There is also an identified need for a construction skills college in my area. We need to inspire the next generation. Why do we not encourage firms to sponsor trips to the science park and to local firms? When we are expanding the park, it would be fantastic if there was a space there to support that. This generation, which faces the highest unemployment in 10 years, needs to be empowered to take control of the climate change revolution, and we need to supply them with good skills and well paid jobs locally.

Another barrier to all this happening is the fact that in a rural area like ours, transport is a huge problem. There is no further education provision in my constituency, and even from a town like Thornbury, there is not a direct bus to the nearest further education college, let alone from any of the smaller villages.

I visited the university technical college at Berkeley, which could form part of that low-carbon energy campus that I talked about. Trying to access the college is also hugely difficult from my constituency. This change cannot be delivered without the skills provision and without enabling people to access the college and the jobs afterwards.

We need to get in the infrastructure, and if we are not to rely entirely on our increasingly decrepit strategic road network, we also need to be looking at rail. If we are to have any increase in line capacity and station capacity, we need Westerleigh junction to be upgraded. That is something else I have raised with the Government, but again we are not seeing the investment. Alternatively, in the short term at least, we could look at electrifying more lines, which would also increase capacity because electric trains can accelerate and decelerate faster, so there are opportunities—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Order. The hon. Lady will know that she was on a time limit. I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

The UK has a lot to be proud of in our record on climate change, such as halving our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, being the first EU nation to phase out coal, and massively scaling up renewable energy. It is no coincidence that many of these accomplishments came against a background of cross-party consensus on the need to reach net zero.

The parties used to compete to have the most ambitious environmental programme, but since the last election the Conservatives have abandoned our ambitious climate commitments. Instead, they have kowtowed to the politics of fear, and seized on net zero in a culture war of trying to out-Reform Reform—and where are the Reform Members? Even while still in government, the Conservatives squandered some of the huge economic, social and environmental opportunities of net zero, and now they are falling even further behind the curve. Their recent decision to call for the Climate Change Act to be scrapped would critically endanger future generations, who deserve a safer planet, energy security and a stronger economy. The Climate Change Committee frequently warned that the last Government were not moving fast enough. Let us not forget that they were defeated twice in the High Court due to their inadequate climate plans.

We Liberal Democrats recognise the urgent need to go further and faster on climate change. This generation should be the first to leave the country and the world in a better condition than we found them in. We also recognise the huge opportunities that new renewable energy brings to support skilled jobs and economic growth. Previous failure to invest sufficiently in renewable energy and insulate our homes has led directly to the energy crisis, pushing up energy bills for everyone and squeezing family finances. The situation in Iran has laid bare the state of UK energy security as prices have shot up because we are so reliant on oil and gas. Home-grown, renewable energy does not have to pass through the strait of Hormuz, and its price is not set on the rollercoaster of international markets.

Conservative and Reform Members have their heads in the sand in adopting anti-renewable, anti-environmental policies that would leave us vulnerable to more energy crises in the future. The Climate Change Committee has found that the cost of net zero by 2050 is less than the impact of one fuel crisis. Conservative and Reform Members would have us believe that we cannot afford net zero. In reality, the truth is that we cannot afford not to get to net zero.

We cannot escape the fact that our electricity prices are among the highest in Europe, but that is not inevitable; it is the result of a pricing imbalance. Right now, the cost of electricity is set by the price of gas 97% of the time, even though half of our electricity comes from renewables, which are much cheaper. That disconnect is driving up bills unnecessarily, and we must break that link. We Liberal Democrats propose the practical solution of moving older renewable projects off expensive renewable obligation certificates and on to cheaper contracts for difference. The UK Energy Research Centre estimates that that change alone would save a typical household about £200 a year.

At the same time, the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s inquiry into the cost of energy has uncovered serious concerns about transparency. We have heard evidence that profits can be obscured within network charges on energy bills. Energy companies must be transparent, so consumers can clearly see what they are paying for and where profits are being made. Our constituents deserve energy bills to be fair, affordable and easy to understand.

In Bath, the majority of my constituents are firmly behind climate action, and so is my Liberal Democrat council. I was delighted to hold a pop-up surgery at Bath climate hub last week. The hub supports people to reduce their carbon footprint through diet, energy use or transportation changes. It also facilitates the meaningful conversation that we must keep having on climate issues. From action to rewild nature-depleted land to community owned energy initiatives, local areas in Bath are making changes that together make a big difference.

In Bath, like the rest of the country, retrofitting our homes through a national insulation programme is crucial to lowering carbon emissions and reducing bills. The Government’s warm homes plan unfortunately falls short of the scale, ambition and long-term certainty we need. An emergency home upgrade programme should have been implemented in the first 100 days of this Government. We Liberal Democrats would upgrade our homes, making them cheaper to heat with a 10-year emergency home upgrade programme, starting with free insulation for those on low incomes and ensuring that all new homes are zero-carbon. We would also provide further incentives for installing heat pumps that cover the real cost. That would reduce emissions and bills, combating both climate change and fuel poverty.

Climate change is, after all, a global issue. We must bring others with us. The UK and European partners must lead the global effort to tackle climate change together, even more so given that the US has abandoned the multilateral approach to international climate policy. One choice the Government could take immediately to help global efforts towards net zero would be to reverse the cut to the aid budget and set out a road map for restoring official development assistance to 0.7% of gross national income. UK aid provides vital support for the most vulnerable people in the world and is a key tool in meeting our climate commitments.

We Liberal Democrats have also pushed for a long time for stronger marine environmental targets, both internationally and domestically. We welcome the Government’s decision to ratify the global oceans treaty through legislation. However, much more needs to be done to work with our coastal and fishing communities to ensure a sustainable future for fishing and our marine environment.

Public support for climate action remains strong across the UK, but we cannot take it for granted. We must continue to bring the public with us throughout the energy transition. A part of that is ensuring that misinformation and disinformation is effectively challenged. That means tackling myths about renewable energy head-on, and making sure that households right across the country actually feel the benefits through lower bills, warmer homes and secure jobs in their communities.

The Conservatives and Reform are all too often happy to talk down Britain’s renewable industries. They would have us scraping the bottom of the North sea oil barrel. In doing so, they overlook the remarkable innovation happening right here in the UK: home-grown green technology companies driving growth, creating skilled jobs and shaping a more sustainable future. Even if more oil was extracted from the North sea, it would be sold on the international market at international prices. That would not lower energy bills. The Conservatives know that, so it is particularly callous to ask for something that would leave our constituents less safe and secure economically.

Our constituents want to tackle climate change. They want lower fuel bills. They want their wildlife and landscapes to be protected. They want a strong economy that supports British jobs. That is what the energy transition must give them. We Liberal Democrats will keep making the case for the urgent transition away from fossil fuels.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call the shadow Minister.

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[Luke Murphy]

I, too, celebrate the achievements under the previous Government. Why, then, given that those achievements came about under the framework of the Climate Change Act, which was then recognised internationally and led to progress elsewhere, are you now going to throw that framework in the bin?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Order. It has been over 18 months and Members are still using “you” as if it were confetti. Please, can we all be a bit better?

[Luke Murphy]

Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. Why is the hon. Member and her party proposing to throw out the framework that underpinned all the achievements that she is listing?