The Energy Secretary said he had recused himself from the decision on whether to approve the solar farm in Lincolnshire, which is being developed by Dale Vince’s Ecotricity
Ed Miliband assured MPs that he was not involved in approving the solar farm linked to Labour Party donor Dale Vince.
The Energy Secretary stated that he refrained from playing a role in granting permission for the Lincolnshire project, which is being developed by Mr Vince’s Ecotricity company.
This clarification came in response to a query from Conservative shadow frontbencher Joy Morrissey, who inquired whether he would refer himself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards regarding the decision. The 524-hectare Heckington Fen site, situated on farmland between Sleaford and Boston in Lincolnshire, is expected to generate 500 megawatts of energy once completed, according to the Government.
Previous consultations indicated that it could produce sufficient electricity to power over 100,000 homes, and it received Government approval in late January. Ms Morrissey had posed the question, stating: “The Secretary of State recently approved a 524-hectare solar farm in Lincolnshire, a farm linked to Dale Vince, a £5.4m donor to the Labour Party.”
She added that the public has the right to be certain that this decision was made properly and asked if Mr Miliband would refer his handling of the application to the independent adviser on ministerial standards.
Mr Miliband responded: “I’m glad (she) asked about this, because I took no part in this decision and recused myself from it.
“And here we go – you see, they’ve got nothing to say, they’ve got nothing to say about the country, desperate scraping of the barrel. And let the whole House hear it.
“They oppose a solar plan, they oppose a solar plant that will put up panels throughout the country and give clean power to the British people. The state of the Conservative Party is something to behold.”
The plans are a key part of the Government’s strategy to scale up solar farms, with Labour having pushed forward the approval of such projects rapidly since clinching power last year. Just weeks into their reign, Mr Miliband’s department greenlit schemes at Mallard Pass in Rutland, Gate Burton and Sunnica in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire – all located in Lincolnshire.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, these plants have the capacity to supply power to over 400,000 homes. During a Tuesday session, Ms Morrissey probed about the appropriateness of rural landscapes for new solar installations and asked how communities with objections could halt these developments.
In response, Mr Miliband said: “It is quite extraordinary, because we are absolutely exposed as a country, and the party opposite opposes clean power. A blanket opposition to clean power.
“So let every person throughout the country know that when energy bills remain high, they (the Tories) are opposing the things that will bring them down.”
