SIR Tony Blair has rebuked leaders for chasing climate targets over cheaper bills.
He said successful countries “will not simply be ones that decarbonise fastest” — but those that deliver “abundant, secure and affordable energy at scale”.
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Ex-PM Tony Blair has rebuked leaders for chasing climate targets over cheaper bills Credit: AFP via Getty Images
The move is seen as a warning to Ed Miliband’s green drive Credit: Getty
The intervention by the ex Labour prime minister is aimed at all European governments.
But it is seen as a warning to Ed Miliband’s green drive for 95 per cent clean power by 2030.
The Energy Secretary has banned drilling new North Sea oil and gas fields despite pressure to increase supply.
In a foreword to a report by his think tank, Sir Tony warned that European governments had treated energy policy as a climate issue rather than a security one.
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He said: “Europe has led the world in climate ambition and made real progress in reducing emissions.
“That achievement matters. But the global centre of gravity has shifted.
“The future of the energy system will be determined in economies where demand is rising rapidly — and where the overriding priority is to ensure that supply keeps pace.”
The report calls for more investment in electrification and nuclear energy — while criticising the downgrading of oil and gas in Britain.
It says phasing out fossil-fuel production has left Europe “more exposed to international markets in increasingly unstable times”.
The research highlights that power prices in Europe are up to three times higher than in the US and China owing to a reliance on imports.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Sky-high energy bills and an aggressively anti-business approach from the Treasury and Energy Department make life unbearable for many energy-intensive industries.
“Britain lost a third of its refining capacity last year.”
