Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lashed out against “prejudice” against his leftist green agenda among members of his own Conservative Party, and shot down proposals to lift of taxes on energy bills.
Prime Minister Johnson, who is currently facing calls from top Tories over the seemingly endless scandal surrounding “partygate”, threw cold water on earlier reports of the government looking at scrapping the household energy taxes which subsidise so-called green energy projects, which might have seen an uplift in his grassroots support.
Speaking from India, where Mr Johnson is currently on a diplomatic mission to secure a trade deal and closer ties with the emerging power, he responded to a question on whether he would scrap the energy taxes by saying: “This is very important what I’m saying – there’s a lot of prejudice against the green agenda.
“Actually green technology, green, sustainable electricity can help to reduce bills. Overall if you look at what we have done with renewables it has helped to reduce bills over the last few years and will continue to do so,” Johnson claimed in comments quoted by The Guardian.
“That’s why one of the things I want to do is use this moment to have, to really drive towards more offshore wind turbines.”
Mr Jonson was likely referring to members of his own party, including former Brexit minister Steve Baker MP, who, among others in the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, has called for the scrapping of the green taxes in light of the soaring cost of living crisis gripping the country.
However, Johnson may have given up trying to cater to Baker after the MP dramatically called for the PM to resign on Thursday over the fact he has been fined for breaking his own lockdown rules.
According to The Guardian, the taxes on energy bills will amount to an average of £153 per household this year. The paper also noted that energy companies themselves pay billions to subsidise the government’s agenda of insulating homes across the country and other green projects.
Experts, the paper claimed, said that should the government drop the green funding scheme, some 30,000 subsidised jobs could be at risk.
Yet the rising cost of energy may be more pressing, with the energy cap already rising by 54 per cent in April. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has predicted that more price hikes are in the offing, warning the cap could hit £2,800 in October.
Due to the rising costs of fuel and energy, the nation may soon face an egg shortage, with the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) claiming this week that the cost of feeding chickens has climbed by 50 per cent. Meanwhile, energy costs for farmers have jumped by 40 per cent and fuel costs have risen by 30 per cent.
The industry body warned that because supermarkets in Britain have not raised prices for consumers to an adequate level there could be a mass exodus of farmers, because they can’t make ends meet. This comes on top of the Tories — once the party of the countryside and rural people — actually incentivising farmers to retire, with the government announcing a programme earlier this month to pay off farmers with a lump sum if they retire or leave farming.
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