Earlier today Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, announced that wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas, would be expanding their operation on the Isle of Wight.
Following the announcement, Chair of Island Labour, Cllr Richard Quigley, got in touch to share his response.
He told News OnTheWight,
“I welcome the news of the creation of 50 new jobs at Vestas.
“It is a reward for all the hard work the Island-based arm of Vestas has put in over the years.”
Renewables questioned on R4
Bob Seely appeared on BBC Radio4’s Any Questions last week, where he spoke about renewables in the similar terms to how he spoke about them on LBC earlier in the month.
Cllr Quigley went on to say,
“I was surprised to see that the news was shared by our MP Bob Seely, as it was only last week he was on Any Questions on Radio 4 questioning the validity of renewables in the strongest of terms.”
Palmer: Is Bob’s support for green energy naive virtue signalling?
The MP’s view on LBC was subsequently challenged in this publication by Colin Palmer, the director of Wight Community Energy. After seeing Bob’s quote in his announcement today, Colin told News OnTheWight,
“I am confused. On 9th March Bob Seely stated that ‘the idea that if Britain just spent more on renewables we’d solve all our problems is just for the birds’.
“He also appeared to imply that the policies of successive governments to support renewables were simply ‘virtue signalling’.
“Can this be the same Bob Seely who has said today that Vestas’ expansion of renewable energy manufacture on the Island (wind turbine blades) was great news, and implied that his government had played a role in this development? He also expressed his enthusiasm for the Island becoming a national hub for green energy.
“So, Bob, Is support for green energy naive virtue signalling, or is it great news for the Island and the wider world?”
Concern about support for Solent Freeport
Cllr Quigley went on to say,
“Furthermore, his support of the Solent Freeport (run by DP World of P&O Ferries fame) could jeopardise jobs on the Island, due to the confusion over of whether the Island qualifies as fully within the Freeport area.
“Much like his colleagues in government, it seems to me that what Mr Seely says and what he believes are two very different things.”
