This is an edited extract from Richard Tice’s speech in Doncaster on 1st October, delivered at the launch of Reform’s 100 Days to Save Britain tour.
Britain is broken. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we can fix it.
But the reality is that we haven’t got very long, and that’s why the title of this tour is 100 Days to Save Britain.
We have to change course on Net Zero. We have to scrap it immediately, and then we can bring our bills down.
The truth is that it is the most catastrophic policy mistake this century. It is an absolute disaster, and everything that’s going on around it.
I mean, the soaring energy bills. They told us - Red Ed Miliband, no less, said - that bills would come down by £300. Two and a half years later, they went up 13% in July. They’ve gone up 4% today. Literally today.
Now we hear that, in January, they’re going to go up another 20% or more. They have just conveniently dropped that promise.
My promise to you, folks - and I absolutely pledge it - is that if I don’t reduce the average annual household energy bill by £250 in the first 100 days of a Reform government, I’m done. I’m out of here before Nigel fires me. I will resign.
The reason the likes of JLR are struggling so much is because of the high energy bills. We have to be sovereign and resilient. We have to reduce our exposure to overseas actors.
We have all this energy treasure in the form of oil and gas. It’s wonderful. It makes people wealthy and prosperous. If you have cheap energy, then guess what? You get higher GDP per person, and that means we become more prosperous.
Twenty years ago, no one was talking about the price of electricity, the availability of electricity if you’re a business trying to get new connections, or the risk of blackouts.
Now not only are we heading towards bankrupt Britain, but we are also heading towards blackout Britain.
More and more energy experts are saying that the risk of blackouts this winter is higher than it’s ever been. The guys on the ground in the National Energy System Operator are terrified, trying to keep the lights on. It is sometimes pretty edgy, week in, week out.
It’s completely insane. An island sitting on decades’ worth of energy treasure faces blackouts. It’s completely and utterly potty.
The issue with renewables is that you need backup for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Of course it costs more.
We have to understand that solar power and wind power are weak power. It is unreliable. It needs balancing.
If we deregulate, if we start to cut taxes by cutting spending, then we can deliver.
Reform UK has the passion, the conviction, the courage and the belief that this great nation can be turned around. That is the good news.
Watch the full speech here.
Britain is broken. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we can fix it.
But the reality is that we haven’t got very long, and that’s why the title of this tour is 100 Days to Save Britain.
We have to change course on Net Zero. We have to scrap it immediately, and then we can bring our bills down.
The truth is that it is the most catastrophic policy mistake this century. It is an absolute disaster, and everything that’s going on around it.
I mean, the soaring energy bills. They told us - Red Ed Miliband, no less, said - that bills would come down by £300. Two and a half years later, they went up 13% in July. They’ve gone up 4% today. Literally today.
Now we hear that, in January, they’re going to go up another 20% or more. They have just conveniently dropped that promise.
My promise to you, folks - and I absolutely pledge it - is that if I don’t reduce the average annual household energy bill by £250 in the first 100 days of a Reform government, I’m done. I’m out of here before Nigel fires me. I will resign.
The reason the likes of JLR are struggling so much is because of the high energy bills. We have to be sovereign and resilient. We have to reduce our exposure to overseas actors.
We have all this energy treasure in the form of oil and gas. It’s wonderful. It makes people wealthy and prosperous. If you have cheap energy, then guess what? You get higher GDP per person, and that means we become more prosperous.
Twenty years ago, no one was talking about the price of electricity, the availability of electricity if you’re a business trying to get new connections, or the risk of blackouts.
Now not only are we heading towards bankrupt Britain, but we are also heading towards blackout Britain.
More and more energy experts are saying that the risk of blackouts this winter is higher than it’s ever been. The guys on the ground in the National Energy System Operator are terrified, trying to keep the lights on. It is sometimes pretty edgy, week in, week out.
It’s completely insane. An island sitting on decades’ worth of energy treasure faces blackouts. It’s completely and utterly potty.
The issue with renewables is that you need backup for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Of course it costs more.
We have to understand that solar power and wind power are weak power. It is unreliable. It needs balancing.
If we deregulate, if we start to cut taxes by cutting spending, then we can deliver.
Reform UK has the passion, the conviction, the courage and the belief that this great nation can be turned around. That is the good news.
Watch the full speech here.
