Speeches by Miliband.

“Why don’t we write to you with a more detailed answer on that issue?”

“It is interesting that you ask this question. We have a tendency to think that the future is going to look like the past. I think that batteries, long-duration storage and consumer-led flexibility will play a much bigger role in the energy system than maybe some people anticipate. There is real potential in these areas…”

“I know you had Fintan Slye before you. I think the NESO report reached an important conclusion, which is that even though there are significant costs to building a clean power system—and this is the central insight of our work—the cheaper wholesale costs you get from a clean power system mean there is scope for lower b…”

“Let me deal with that directly. The British people choose the Government here and the American people choose the American President. It is important for our country, whoever the President is, to work with them and find common ground. No doubt there will be areas of disagreement with the incoming President Trump. He wil…”

“I will just say, on the Aberdeen chamber of commerce, that I do not include them in this. It is important for us to work with our North sea communities, including the Aberdeen chamber of commerce, OEUK and others. We may have slightly divergent perspectives on certain issues but we share a lot of common ground as well.…”

“This is the right question, and this is something that we are determined to work on with industry, trade unions and workers. We will be consulting soon on our licensing policy, but it is going to be much more than that. It is going to be about how we build this future. You mentioned the skills passport, which has been …”

“I cannot guarantee you of that, but I have read your questions about this community share issue, which is interesting. Our GB Energy local power plan is absolutely about that idea. If you talk to RWE, for example, they say, “As a matter of course in other countries such as Germany, we might be building significant onsh…”

“I think the reality is that the concentration in supply chains has been built up over a long period. I am afraid it is because the last Government did not take the view that we needed to build in Britain, at least not sufficiently. I have a different view, which is that it really matters that we build our own supply ch…”

“I said to Torcuil that our dialogue with Aberdeen chamber of commerce, OEUK and others is important, and it is partly that dialogue—obviously I do not determine tax policy, and I should be very careful not to suggest that I do—that led to some changes to capital allowances that the Chancellor announced in the Budget. T…”

“We could have gone on for hours.”

“Of course.”

“I said the Committee has taken a keen interest in this. Can I say that I very much enjoyed working with you in the last Parliament when you were the Liberal Democrat spokesperson? It is good to work together again. It is important to take this head-on. All the experts tell us that without CCUS we are simply not going t…”

“It depends how you look at this. In some sense, the oil and gas industry is paying for some of this through taxation. If you think about the windfall tax that we have put in place, some of this is coming through taxation. It is also the case, honestly, that with any first-of-a-kind technology—any new technology—if you …”

“Also, you could say to the cement industry, “Well there is no future for you in a decarbonised world,” but I do not think we should say that. We should say, “There is going to be a future for you in a decarbonised world.” How is the cement industry—to give one example among many that I could give—going to decarbonise w…”

“I think both have a role. Take Net Zero Teesside and the project there. We are confident that it will play a role in helping us to deliver 2030 clean power in a decarbonised way. We could be saying, “Let’s just have unabated gas,” but that would not be fulfilling our climate commitments. It is the right thing to do. I …”

“I am also an unusual person to be accused of allowing the oil and gas industry to continue business as usual. That is something that has never been said to me before.”

“Into scare quotes, as they say. Do you want to add anything, Jeremy?”

“Not at all, Barry.”

“Always, Barry, always.”

“Let me deal with the general and then come to the specific. On the general, thank you for your kind words, and right back at you, as they say, because your championing of this agenda—your leadership on this agenda—has been incredibly important over the years and has huge respect not just domestically but internationall…”