Jeremy Vine: Ann Widdecombe has a dig at host over nuclear
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Ann Widdecombe has demanded Britain act fast to stop relying on foreign countries for oil and gas. This follows a sharp rise in energy bills that will put a further squeeze on people already facing higher prices and rising taxes. Energy regulator Ofgem announced yesterday that households will typically pay an extra £693 a year on their energy bills from April.
To cope with the crisis, Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed a support plan yesterday to take the “sting” out of the rise.
Ms Widdecombe hit out at Jeremy Vine on-air today as the former Conservative MP called on Britain to ditch reliance on foreign oil and gas.
She said: “The situation we are in is a culmination of failure on the part of successive governments of both parties over a very period of time.
“We have been relying on other people’s oil, other people’s gas, and not doing enough with our own.”
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She added: “I think we should have invested more in nuclear, which is not only renewable but also clean.”
Mr Vine interrupted her, saying nuclear energy “blows up occasionally” and mentioned Chernobyl by name.
Ms Widdecombe fired back: “We have been depending on French nuclear for a long-time so that is a bit hypocritical.
“You mentioned Chernobyl. That was because the Russians had a system where they could override an automatic shutdown. We did not.
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“So get your facts right!”
She also disagreed with Rishi Sunak’s plan to help people pay their energy bills.
Mr Sunak laid out plans to provide £350 per household to “ease” people’s anxiety over the increase.
Ms Widdecombe reacted: “I think it’s a major contribution. I do think universal benefit is never a good idea.
“It should be targeted much more on those who need it, and then you could give them more.
“There is poor targeting but it’s a decent gesture from Government.”
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The global energy crisis has even seen the EU reconsider nuclear energy.
Controversial plans unveiled in Brussels this week revealed that nuclear and natural gas energy plants could be counted as “green energy”.
The soaring price of gas can be traced to a combination of the cold European winter last year that drained supplies, the ongoing Russian tensions with Europe, and increased demand from Asia and China.
Gas is a key transition fuel for economies around the world trying to move from carbon-based power generation to renewables.
This has prompted predictions that Government help with energy bills may not be a one-off measure.
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