Isle of Wight East Conservative MP, Joe Robertson, has taken the Government to task over increases in energy bills and plans to apply the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) levy to the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route in July.
Broken promises on energy bills
“The security of energy and the price of energy is something that affects every household, every individual and every business up and down the country, in every constituency. It’s a matter that concerns everyone.“When the Secretary of State was in opposition during the last election, he promised to cut household energy bills by £300, but instead, in Government, he’s presided over an increase in household energy bills of £200.
“There is nothing in The King’s Speech that will secure the country’s energy supply, that will bring down energy costs, and that will bring the jobs and investment that the government has promised.”
£511 return crossing
Whilst highlighting a return ferry fare of £511.00 on the Fishbourne to Portsmouth route, Mr Robertson went on to say,
“Next month, you can travel across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, take your car, and one return trip costs £511.00 for a five mile return crossing. The Government, instead of helping us, will levy a carbon emission tax that the ferry company cannot avoid because it cannot decarbonise its ferries and go electric.
“There is no grid charging capacity in Portsmouth Harbour or Southampton. This is the naval base of the United Kingdom and one of the biggest export container ports yet there is not the grid capacity to charge an Isle of Wight ferry.
“The EU are ring fencing the money they get from ETS to invest in grid capacity imports, however, the UK government are making no promises about investing in grid capacity.”
Minister’s response
Mr Robertson recently wrote a joint letter with Richard Quigley MP, highlighting the Island’s reliance on ferry travel and calling for a delay or urgent reconsideration of the levy’s application.
News shared by the office of Joe Robertson, in their own words. Ed
