The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has pledged that a future Conservative government would help the economy of Northern England by creating a renewable energy and shale gas hub in the North, assuming the party wins the next election.
Mr Cameron made the announcement during the Conservative Party conference which is being held this week in Manchester. The PM focused his message on the need to support big business in order to boost the economy and creating a “land of opportunity” for hardworking people. He said that the Party’s plan for jobs is to “back business”, promising ‘green jobs’ as part of a series of measures to boost the economy.
“With its wind and wave power, let's make the Humber the centre of clean energy” said Mr Cameron before going to suggest Blackpool as a centre for the shale gas industry.
Some businesses have been concerned in recent years that the government is flailing in its commitment to renewable energy, and so Mr Cameron’s comments may be welcomed by some. Yet there is also concern that the government is also planning to cut subsidies for renewable energy, not helped by Sunday Telegraph interview recently in which the PM said that subsidies should not be in place “for a second longer than they're necessary.”
The executive director of Friends of the Earth, Andy Atkins, commented that Mr Cameron’s speech would fail to placate investors that are already uncertain about the government’s stance on climate change.
“Cameron's dangerously muddled energy policy is keeping the nation hooked on increasingly costly fossil fuels, driving away thousands of jobs in Britain's renewable energy sector and undermining efforts to tackle global warming” Mr Atkins said. “Investors need government clarity to develop Britain's huge wind, solar and marine potential - which is why we need a clean power target in the Energy Bill, currently going through Parliament.”
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