Green electricity: PM full of "bombast and bluster"

Local Lib Dems party secretary Frank Little writes: The Conservatives had to find a new hall in Manchester for Boris Johnson's keynote speech because the normal conference venue was not big enough to accommodate his ego. Before he even shambled on to the platform, Liberal Democrats called him out for being full of “bombast and bluster” on green electricity, pointing to the Government’s poor record on renewables.   Amidst all the careless use of statistics and the downright lies, the Prime Minister indeed waxed lyrical about huge offshore wind farms and made extravagant claims about how much of Britain's electricity will come from renewable sources.   But a recent analysis by the Liberal Democrats found that UK renewables growth is actually at its slowest rate since 2010. The UK also recently fired up old coal power plants to meet the nation’s electricity demand, as gas prices have soared.   Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Climate Emergency and Energy, said:   “Yet again this Government is guilty of chasing headlines whilst failing to take the necessary action to achieve what they claim they can.   “The Conservatives have utterly neglected the UK renewables industry to the point where coal power stations are being fired up. They need to come clean on a firm end date to fossil fuel use in the energy sector, but Boris Johnson studiously avoids this topic.   “It’s insulting that the Prime Minister is talking a good game on green electricity whilst families are left feeling the pinch this winter, thanks in no small part to the UK’s overreliance on gas and Government inaction on renewables.   “Liberal Democrats nearly quadrupled renewable energy in government, but the Tories have since dropped so many balls on this they could fill a children’s crèche.    “If we’re to make any significant progress towards meeting these green ambitions, we need serious investment in renewable energy - not a Prime Minister full of bombast and bluster and a Government dragging our green record through the mud.”