MPs urge government not to scrap green homes code

The Government should reconsider its plans to axe the Code for Sustainable Homes in the UK, MPs have warned. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has been consulting on plans to scrap the sustainable homes policy as part of its efforts to cut red tape in the house building industry. It suggested getting […]

Miliband: We’ll force Commons to vote on energy price freeze

Labour leader Ed Miliband will today promise to force the House of Commons to vote on an energy price freeze in another sign energy bills are at the heart of his election campaign. He is also set to lump Prime Minister David Cameron in with the country’s largest energy companies, derisively calling them the “Big […]

Caroline Lucas MP charged over Balcombe fracking protests

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has been charged following her arrest at the Balcombe anti-fracking protests last month. Nigel Pilkington from the Crown Prosecution Service South East said: “After careful consideration, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to prosecute Ms Lucas for breaching a police […]

Tim Yeo steps down temporarily after sleaze claims

Conservative MP Tim Yeo is temporarily resigning as chair of Parliament’s energy committee following allegations he was willing to take cash in exchange for his influence in government. In a sting by two undercover reporters from The Sunday Times posing as employees of a solar firm, it is claimed Yeo said he could use his […]

Davey shines on Brixton

ELN reporter Vicky Ellis talks to Energy Secretary Ed Davey MP about community owned energy projects and gauges his reaction to the 2013 Government decarbonisation target vote.

Blog: Why don’t we trust our energy industry?

Trust. It forms the basis for all relationships in this world but what exactly does it mean? A “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something”, “a reliance on another person or entity”, “assured reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing”. Those are just a […]

UK needs a “more focused” low carbon strategy with China

The UK Government must work towards a “more focused” low carbon trade strategy with China for green businesses and technologies to prosper, MPs warned. The Energy and Climate Change Committee in its new report said China’s market for low carbon technology is currently worth around £430billion, which is set to grow following its ambitious 12th […]

Osborne tempts Davey with onshore wind cash in exchange for more gas

Chancellor George Osborne has reportedly written to Ed Davey with an offer to stave off deeper cuts to the onshore wind subsidy in exchange for the Energy Secretary’s support for more gas in the UK. In a leaked letter seen by the FT, the Chancellor suggests he is willing to keep a cut to the […]

Government’s Energy Bill ‘unworkable’, warn MPs

The Government’s proposed plans for the new Energy Bill will not work in favour of consumers and could increase the risk for investors, UK MPs warned. The Energy and Climate Change Committee made the comment after examining the draft Bill put forward by the UK Government last week, which is expected to reform the electricity […]

MPs reject ‘green’ EU farm regulations

UK MPs have rejected the EU’s new ‘greening’ regulations and claim it could harm the environment. This comes as the European Commission published its proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) today. The report wants to ‘green’ the CAP with  30% of farm subsidies to be conditional on meeting certain ‘greening’ measures. The […]