Robert Jenrick EXPOSES Labour’s Solar Farm Madness in Commons Clash

[00:00:00]Watch how Robert Genrich launches a fierce attack on Ed Miband over Labour's controversial solar farm expansion plans. As concerns grow over rising energy bills, food security, and the loss of agricultural land, this explosive commons clash exposes a battle over Britain's energy future. Before we continue, hit like and subscribe to Britain Daily for more explosive political coverage. Let's watch this explosive clip. Chry >> government says that less than 1% of the countryside will be covered in solar farms. But if the 7,000 acre great north road scheme, which is now before the Secretary of State, the 2,000 acre steeple scheme that is now before the Secretary of State, and the 4,000 acres uh one Earth scheme, which is shortly before the Secretary of State, all get approved, almost 10% of the land mass of my constituency, one of the most rural and largest in England, will be covered in solar farms. good quality agricultural land in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire lost. How on earth is this fair to local communities?

[00:01:04]>> Yes.

[00:01:05]>> For reasons he'll understand. I'm not going to comment on individual planning decisions. But what I but what I what I do because they have to go through the proper process. But what I do say what I do say to him is that solar is the cheapest, cleanest form of power that we have. Now look, we can decide to bury our heads in the sand. We can decide to stay on the fossil fuel roller coaster, but the people who will pay for it are his constituents because they're paying for it now in higher energy bills. This side is going to keep going with the drive for clean power.

[00:01:31]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Question number seven, please.

[00:01:34]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with your permission, uh I'll answer questions 7, 8, and 11 together. Mr. Speaker, we recognize the latest price gap announcement will be deeply concerning for households, many of whom were already struggling before the Iran crisis hit. That's why the government has already taken action. We've taken £150 of costs off energy bills, extended the warm home discount to nearly6 million families, and provided over50 million pounds of immediate support for vulnerable customers who use heating oil. And we will, of course, continue to monitor the situation closely ahead of winter and stand ready to take action.

[00:02:05]>> Glover.

[00:02:05]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for his answer. The energy price cap increase is estimated to cost each household an extra £18 every month.

[00:02:13]That is the price of a regular essential food shop at a discount supermarket.

[00:02:16]Now, I note the measures the minister says the government is taking, but in addition, will the government urgently bring forward a social tariff for vulnerable low-income households?

[00:02:25]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honorable member makes an important point and obviously from the government's point of view, we do not want anyone to be making the choice between heating and eating.

[00:02:33]That's why across government we are working um on a data sprint to work out how we can use household income data to make sure that we are targeting support at the right people.

[00:02:42]>> Shocker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The typical annual dual fuel bill is 40% higher today in real terms than it was in 2021. And after accounting for inflation, that is £511 more per household. The bad news doesn't stop there with Offje announcing that this crisis is going to get worse with a 13% increase to the energy price cap. Now, my constituents of Lester South are already suffering. Labor promised to fix that, but the cost of living is just getting worse with them. Now, when the minister says the only way to protect our country is through clean homegrown power, what is he therefore doing to decouple the bills from gas prices? And when will my constituents of Letter South feel it?

[00:03:18]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. His constituents in Leicester will benefit from the decisions that we've already made. Those decisions take £150 off the energy cost, the decision to extend the warm home discount and the warm homes plan, 15 billion pounds of support. But I would say to him that we are dellinking. We are taking that action already. The secretary of state made announcements on that last month and I would point them towards offjem who pointed out that while last week wholesale gas prices in the price cap went up by 24% electricity went up by 5%. And as they said and I quote this reflects the increase in the amount of renewable generation on the system and therefore reduced reliance on gas.

[00:03:51]>> Gag Mahindra.

[00:03:52]>> Thank you Mr. Speaker. Uh 3,199 households in my constituency currently experience fuel poverty due to high energy costs and costs linked to the government's clean energy agenda could mean household bills are set to rise by at least £100 in the next four years.

[00:04:07]How long will hardworking families in Southwest Har have to pay the price for Labour's ideological dash away from domestic energy production until they have a credible plan to fill the gaps in their energy policy?

[00:04:20]>> Mr. Speaker, this is coming from a member of a party that learned no lessons from the last energy crisis. We will not take we will not make those same mistakes, which is why we're investing in clean power by 2030, which will drive down bills. And only today, we've also seen the jobs benefit from the investment in clean energy, supporting 1.1 million jobs, 22,000 small businesses, and 105 billion pounds for our economy.

[00:04:44]>> Craig, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I welcome the government measure to support domestic consumers of kerosone heating oil. I'm told that those eligible if they fill their tanks today would be paying the equivalent to what we pay in February 27. But in my helenia constituency, we also have big commercial usage of kerosene oil, distilleries, seaweed manufacturing, uh tourism indicants as well. What measures is the government of the department taking to support commercial users of keros?

[00:05:09]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. pay tribute to my honorable friend for all the work that he's doing to advocate for his constituents in the Helen year and I was pleased to visit him recently to see the impact that the increases in heating oil is having on his constituents. We are looking closely at the uh non-domemestic heating oil market and we'll come forward with more proposals in due course.

[00:05:28]>> Speaker, with your permission, I'd like to answer six and 12 together. The two renewables auctions under this government have secured power for the equivalent of 23 million homes and we're embarked on the biggest nuclear building program for 50 years. But the war in Iran says we need to go further and faster. So we'll open our next renewables auction next month and have recently signed contracts for a fleet of Rolls-Royce SMRs. Clean Power is already reducing wholesale electricity prices by up to a quarter. And these steps will do more to protect families and businesses across our country.

[00:05:52]>> Mr. Speaker, I know that for my SL constituents, the crisis in Iran and the naval blockade have had a profound impact on household budgets. But we've also been left vulnerable by previous conservative governments which for over a decade ran down our own energy system leaving us on the fossil fuel roller coaster and susceptible to global fluctuation. So secretary of state unlike the previous Tory predecessors uh who actually uh failed to invest in and uh didn't provide for our constituents. What measures is the government taking to invest in cheap, clean, homegrown energy so that my slow constituents and others across the country can be protected from these spikes in the cost of living? Well, my my old friend is absolutely right about this and the central fact that we can't get away from, Mr. Speaker, is that we are price takers, not price makers, when it comes to oil and gas. That is the fundamental kind of contradiction at the heart of what the where the opposition is. just to answer him about what we are going to do. We are going to drive further and faster on clean power, including electrification across the economy. It's already the case indeed that customers are being better protected as a result of the renewables we have on our system, but we've got to go further and faster.

[00:07:04]>> Mr. Speaker, the US Israel war has pushed up prices for my constituents and is yet more evidence that we need to be energy self-sufficient around clean power. So, can I greatly welcome the 2.6 6 billion pound investment for Rolls-Royce uh for small modular reactors. Great news for my constituents, but also those in Derby and the wider region. Um and also to help with Britain's energy security. Can he say um more about how GB Energy will invest uh in projects like this?

[00:07:33]>> Well, well, my honorable friend is absolutely right about this and I was very pleased to sign in the last few weeks contracts with uh Rolls-Royce uh on this. This is a this is a massive innovation not just for Britain but for the world. We are world leaders when it comes to small modular uh reactors. And what's really important is not just Mr. Speaker the jobs in constructing uh these SMRs but the jobs in the supply chain too. And I look forward to working with my honorable friend and members across the house on making sure their constituents benefit from these good well-p paid jobs.

[00:08:02]>> Milton.

[00:08:02]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To get the best out of intermittent energy producers like wind and solar, we need to invest in battery energy storage systems.

[00:08:09]However, these place new safety challenges. The National Fire Chiefs Council recently issued guidance, but understandably, this concentrates on firefighting techniques rather than design. The minister has kindly met with me in the past. Would he agree to a further meeting to specifically address the unmet need in national construction standards?

[00:08:27]>> Well, well, the honorable raises an important point and I know that my honorable friend, the energy minister, has met him and indeed the national fire chiefs uh on this issue. We take safety of battery technology incredibly seriously and I'm sure my honorable friend will be happy to meet him again for further discussions.

[00:08:41]>> What a dramatic exchange in the House of Commons. Robert Genrich's intervention tapped into a concern that many people living in rural communities increasingly share. It's not simply about solar panels or renewable energy. It's about how Britain balances energy security, environmental goals, food production, and the protection of local communities.

[00:09:02]For families living in towns and villages across the country, the countryside is more than just land on a map. It represents jobs, farming traditions, local identity, and the landscapes that have shaped communities for generations. That is why proposals for large-scale solar developments often generate such strong reactions. Gener argued that Labour's plans risk sacrificing valuable agricultural land while doing little to address the immediate pressures facing households struggling with high energy costs. His criticism reflected a broader frustration among voters who feel they are being asked to bear the costs of policies that may not deliver the promised benefits quickly enough.

[00:09:45]Supporters of Labour's approach argue that renewable energy is essential if Britain is to reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets and lower long-term costs. They say investment in clean energy is necessary to secure the country's future. But as today's debate showed, many questions remain unanswered. How much land should be used? How quickly will bills fall? and who ultimately pays the price during the transition. Those are questions that matter to millions of people already facing financial pressures and uncertainty about the future. What do you think is Labor striking the right balance between clean energy and protecting local communities? Or are concerns like those raised by Robert Genrich fully justified? Let us know in the comments below. And if you enjoyed this coverage, hit like, subscribe to Britain Daily, and turn on notifications for more explosive Commons debates, PMQ's clashes, and breaking political news from Westminster.