BRITAIN must follow New Zealand’s lead and ditch the war on oil and gas, top Tories and Reform UK demanded last night.
Kiwi ministers have this week torn up their 2018 drilling ban – imposed by ex-PM Jacinda Ardern – blaming it for soaring energy bills and growing blackout risks.
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Climate and energy minister Simon Watts told Parliament: “In times where renewable production decreases, it is clear that we need contingency options to ensure that Kiwis are not left footing a bigger bill, and to ensure that we have sufficient supply.”
The move has reignited calls in the UK to scrap Labour’s own plans to block new North Sea licenses – with warnings it will cost jobs, raise taxes and wreck energy security.
It comes as official figures revealed UK gas imports surged by 20 per cent between January and March 0 just as North Sea output plunged by 6.9 per cent.
The fall marks the first signs that Labour’s ban on new drilling is beginning to bite – forcing Britain to rely more heavily on foreign gas from Norway, Qatar and the US, often with higher emissions and higher costs.
Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said: “Ed Miliband should learn from New Zealand. His plans to shut down the North Sea are economic insanity.
“All it will mean is that we pay to import gas from abroad with higher emissions when it could have been drilled in Britain.”
Reform UK’s Richard Tice also piled in, saying: “Awesome news New Zealand restarts oil and gas and realises that Net Zero is a mega destroyer of jobs and industries.
“Red Ed Miliband should take the hint but sadly his tin ear is full of eco zealots.”
New Zealand’s U-turn comes days after US President Donald Trump has called for a “drill, baby, drill” approach to North Sea oil saying it’s a “treasure chest” for the UK.
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