Telling people to use less energy would be “very patronising”, Dodds says

Households could face rolling blackouts this winter, the National Grid has warned. According to the network operator, a scenario it calls “unlikely” would see planned three-hour outages if the UK is unable to import enough energy from Europe. Ed Miliband laid the blame at the feet of the Tories, describing the warning from the National Grid as a “direct consequence of a decade of failed Conservative energy policy”. The Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary said that “banning onshore wind, slashing investment in energy efficiency, stalling nuclear and closing gas storage have led to higher bills and reliance on gas imports” and had left the UK “more exposed to the impact of Putin’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon”.

Liz Truss reportedly ruled out launching an energy-saving public information campaign to stave off blackouts. The Times reported that No 10 blocked a proposal from Jacob Rees Mogg for a £15m campaign this winter, which would have included advising people to turn off radiators, lower the temperature of boilers and turn off the heating when they go out (is anyone not doing this?). The paper quoted a government source who described the campaign as a “no-brainer” but said Truss was “ideologically opposed” to such an approach because it is too interventionist. 

Graham Stuart told Sky News this morning that he ‘doesn’t recognise’ the suggestion that a public information campaign was axed by the Prime Minister: “I don’t think that’s the way it was.” The climate minister told LBC: “We’re not a nanny-state government… What we are prepared to do is talk to the big energy users and talk to consumers with smart technology about rewarding them for reducing energy at the peak times.” Labour’s Anneliese Dodds pointed out that telling people to use less energy – when everyone is already scaling back due to skyrocketing energy bills – would be “very patronising”. The Labour Party chair said the government should focus instead on measures such as insulating houses, which would boost jobs and improve energy efficiency in homes. 

On LabourList: we have an excellent piece from shadow minister Feryal Clark, who tells readers that the Conservatives have fallen short on women’s health at every opportunity and are continuing to do so under its new leadership. She writes: “There might be new faces at the top, but the attitude of the Conservatives remains the same. Only Labour will ensure women’s health services have the staff, resources and technology they need to get women seen on time.” Read the full piece here.