Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026

Debate between Richard Tice and Sadik Al-Hassan

Tuesday 27th January 2026 General Committees

[Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) (Reform)]

This is quite extraordinary. We have debates in the House of Commons every week where everybody bemoans the price of electricity, yet we have here an order that will increase bills on businesses significantly. When we reduce the annual allowance for those industries, we are increasing their bills. We have debates about businesses shutting down and having to be propped up by the Government in order to protect communities and jobs. And why are they shutting down? Because of the energy cost—all of them, without exception. This order, and this emissions trading scheme, is driving up bills, and is the sole reason why industries are leaving the country and going overseas.

[Sadik Al-Hassan]

Will the hon. Member give way?

[Richard Tice]

I would be delighted to give way to the hon. Gentleman, who I hope will clarify whether he has spoken to any of these industries, and the communities who are having their jobs slaughtered because of this lunacy.

[Sadik Al-Hassan]

I am sure the hon. Member, as somebody with a great degree of business experience, understands the global trading environment that we sit in, and the energy shocks that come from events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I thank him for his note on talking with businesses in my constituency. I spend a lot of time talking with businesses in my constituency; I do not know whether Reform UK does the same. Would he like to clarify that?

[Richard Tice]

The reason so many industrial businesses are shutting down, whether it is at Mossmorran, Grangemouth, Immingham or elsewhere, or in the automotive sector, is because of the high cost of electricity. This emissions trading scheme, and the linkage of it to the EU emissions trading scheme, has driven up the carbon taxes, which of course has therefore driven up bills and costs. Therefore, industries are less competitive and, as was previously said, those businesses have to pass the cost on to the consumer.

What this is doing is making our industry and businesses less competitive, and the tragedy of that is that we are therefore destroying growth and jobs. All we are doing is sending these industries overseas, and then the carbon dioxide is produced over there, we have lost the jobs, we have lost the money, and we have become poorer. For that reason, I will vote against the order.