31st July 2026

The Big Debate

The headlines

UK

• The Big Debate

• Net Zero risks blackouts

• Second from disaster

International

• Paris and Berlin seek to weaken ICE ban

• BP exit to add strain to Japan’s offshore wind

Watch

• Climate aid madness

• Will Rosebank finally get the greenlight?

• NESO leaks

Etcetera

• Media, opinion

UK

The Big Debate

A major debate is underway amongst the centre-right on energy and climate policies. This week, the Telegraph featured a series of opinion pieces by leading thinkers on the subject:

• With half of country suffering from drought, Tim Stanley argued conservatives need to take climate change seriously – and our writers responded.

• David Frost: We don’t need to trash the economy to save the planet

• Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Badenoch must reverse course on net zero before she destroys the Tories

• Kemi Badenoch: Net zero scepticism is not climate-change denial

• Allister Heath: We’ve lost the war against climate change. Time to scrap net zero

• John Constable: Climate change is real, but it is an unfortunate fact that renewables are useless

Net Zero risks blackouts

The Times reports that Britain’s race to net zero will leave the country at greater risk of blackouts and higher electricity bills, a confidential report commissioned by the national grid system has warned.

The Times leader argues that Net Zero is doing voters a disservice by pretending the transition will be easy and costless.

Second from disaster

As they sat down to watch England’s World Cup showdown with Ghana, millions of football fans were oblivious to the crisis unfolding on Britain’s power grid. What the fans didn’t know, however, was that engineers at the National Energy System Operator were sweating to keep the show on the road. Just an hour before kick-off, the crisis reached its nadir. Disaster was only averted after grid bosses begged their French counterparts for help over the phone.

READ CLAIRE COUNTINHO’S OP-ED ON THE SCANDAL HERE

International

Paris and Berlin seek to weaken ICE ban

Germany and its powerful automotive industry have long pushed to weaken the EU’s planned phaseout of new combustion-engine cars from 2035. France has long defended the target as a cornerstone of the European Green Deal. Now an increasingly critical Macron and Friedrich Merz are trying to jump-start the Franco-German engine one final time, tasking their governments with striking a grand bargain that they say would strengthen Europe’s industrial defenses and revive the bloc’s automotive industry.

BP exit to add strain to Japan offshore wind

Headwinds are intensifying for Japan's offshore wind power sector, with British oil giant BP PLC seen exiting a major project off northeastern Japan. Offshore wind power is regarded as a key element in the country's renewable energy strategy, but soaring construction costs driven by global inflation are eroding project viability.

Watch

WATCH OUR CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR DISCUSS MILIBAND’S CLIMATE AID PROPOSALS

WATCH ANDREW MONTFORD DISCUSS ROSEBANK

WATCH MAURICE DISCUSS THE NESO LEAKS

Etcetera…

Read: David Turver’s report on the cost of Labour’s clean power mission.

From the blog

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