Tory chair under fire after saying ‘net zero dogma’ must not stop drilling for oil in North Sea

‘Pandering to fringe elements’: Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden’s comments branded ‘frankly unbelievable’

Oliver Dowden speaks at the Conservative Party spring conference in Blackpool on Friday (Reuters)

Conservative chair Oliver Dowden has come under fire today for saying that “net zero dogma” should not get in the way of new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.

Mr Dowden said that ending reliance on Russian energy in response to the invasion of Ukraine would require not only investment in renewables and nuclear, but also “re-incentivising new oil and gas exploration in this country”.

And he won applause in his speech to the Conservative spring conference in Blackpool as he told activists that voters wanted pragmatism not “dogma” over Boris Johnson’s legally-binding commitment to bring overall emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to zero by 2050.

Mr Dowden was accused by Labour’s climate change spokesperson Ed Miliband of “pandering to fringe elements” on continued fossil fuel use, while Green MP Caroline Lucas told The Independent that it appeared Tories were ready to “hold the country to ransom over their anti-climate ideology”.

Mr Johnson has signalled he is ready to sanction new exploration and drilling in North Sea oil fields in a new energy security strategy, due for publication by the end of the month as part of a drive to wean western nations off what he terms an “addiction” to Russian energy.

And he this week visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in a failed attempt to secure commitments from the Gulf states to open the oil taps to speed the move away from Russian fuel.

Mr Dowden – who took time out from the conference to ride on the Icon rollercoaster at Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach and try his hand at driving one of the resort’s famous trams – blamed the UK’s continuing reliance on Russia for part of its energy needs on the failure of Labour governments prior to 2010 to invest in a new generation of nuclear plants.

And he said: “It falls to the Conservatives to deliver energy independence for the first time in a generation.

“Phasing out the import of Russian oil by the end of the year. Exploring options to end the import of Russian gas.

“Of course that means investing massively in our offshore wind and other renewables but it must also mean developing new nuclear projects and re-incentivising new oil and gas exploration in this country as we transition.

“Because I really think the British people want to see a bit of conservative pragmatism, not net zero dogma.

“We are conservatives. We exist to conserve. We will get to net zero.

“Of course we will save the planet. We just don’t want Vladimir Putin taking it over while we are doing it.”

Mr Miliband told The Independent: “It tells you all you need to know about why the Tories can’t be trusted to tackle the climate crisis that their party chair now says to their faithful that net zero is ‘dogma’.

“As they prepare to relaunch their failed energy policy, it’s clear they will pander to fringe elements of their party and betray present and future generations.”

And Ms Lucas said: “It’s frankly unbelievable that a member of Boris Johnson’s own cabinet is now claiming ‘net zero dogma’ is holding the country back – when what’s really threatening our energy and climate security is Tory backbenchers hell-bent on a return to fracking, a Net Zero Scrutiny Group in parliament touting the lines of climate deniers, and an obsession with importing oil and gas from tyrannical regimes.

“Once again, Conservative party members – and now cabinet ministers – are holding the country to ransom over their own anti-climate ideology.”

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Danny Gross said: “The worry for many people is how they’ll pay their energy bills when prices rise in April. Solutions that bring down these costs quickly and for the long term need to be the focus for government.

“The truth is that new oil and gas fields take 28 years on average before they can start supplying our energy systems, so clearly this isn’t going to help people who are struggling to pay their bills now.

“Renewable energy isn’t just the best option for our planet, it’s also best for our pockets because it is much cheaper and can be rolled out far quicker than new North Sea oil and gas. It also remains the most popular energy source with the public.”