Thank you for all those who contacted me about onshore wind energy.

Onshore wind is the cheapest, cleanest source of energy we have. Yet, since 2015, the Government has effectively banned new developments in England through its National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), keeping bills high and damaging our energy security.

During the passage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill through the House of Commons last year, several amendments that would have removed the block on onshore wind in the NPPF were considered. Unfortunately, none of these amendments were passed. Instead, the Government committed to consulting on ensuring local support for onshore wind, including changes to national planning policy.

I was concerned at the time that the Government’s announcement of a consultation represented a failure to properly lift the ban or provide clarity. I believed it meant simply further delay and the continued denial to Britain, in the middle of an energy crisis, of lower energy bills and improved energy security. Indeed, when the Government published its consultation, the proposals it put forward were met with bitter disappointment by the renewable energy industry, which said they would do “almost nothing” to remove the ban.

If the Government is serious about cutting bills, strengthening our security, creating good jobs, growing our economy and tackling the climate crisis, it needs to end the ban, bring consenting for onshore wind in line with other infrastructure and support councils in proactively identifying local opportunities for onshore wind deployment. More widely, I believe we need to double our onshore wind capacity as part of a plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower, with a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. I will therefore continue to support efforts to press the Government on this issue.