Harriet Cross MP: Climate Timeline

• Timeline
• Votes
• Speeches
• Tweets
• Contact

Harriet Cross's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Harriet Cross

• 29 Oct 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  The funding may not be sufficient, the overall energy strategy is incoherent and there is no clarity on the delivery of jobs or any mention of £300 energy bill savings, but surely the Bill offers certainty to the very industry that will deliver the energy transition. That brings me to the strategic statement. One thing that we know for sure is that we do not know all we need to know about what GB Energy will do. As a result, the uncertainty will continue. For communities such as mine in Gordon and Buchan, and for businesses, supply chains and those working in the existing energy industry, that is profound. We need to know how those communities will be brought with us in the transition—if it is, indeed, to be a just transition.

  Back in 2016, I founded UK100, a network of local government leaders who are ambitious about shifting their communities and their economies to net zero. It is because of that experience, working with local leaders of all political persuasions across the country, that I would like to highlight the importance of a local-led approach to reaching our net zero targets. GB Energy will be able to play a crucial role in doing so by facilitating and encouraging local authorities to meet the ambitious net zero targets that have been set across the country. People will be familiar with the ambitions of big cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol and Brighton—to name but a few—but towns and villages in rural and coastal communities have also made those commitments. That is why community energy is so vital, and why it is so much a part of this Government’s overall project and of this Bill.

  With no disrespect to the National Lottery’s fund, we need a more strategic approach to the local delivery of clean, home-grown, secure energy. That is the role of the GB Energy company. By working with communities and local people, GB Energy will be able to play a crucial role in building consent and support for clean energy projects, in order to reach our ambitious targets and avoid a backlash to net zero—we have already seen that backlash, particularly driven by some of the attitudes of the Conservative party. We have to bring people along with us and show them how they can tangibly benefit from the transition.

  Net zero must not be something we do to people; it must be something we do with people. If we do not work with communities, we will face resistance across the country, but not because people are against tackling climate change. By involving people and showing them how they can tangibly benefit, we will face less resistance and deliver much quicker deployment of the energy projects we need to build. Swaffham Prior, which was mentioned by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Pippa Heylings), is indeed a valuable project, but we cannot leave the transition to projects of that scale. To support community projects at scale, we need a transformative approach that is about transforming the rules of the market as much as it is about establishing GB Energy. Lastly, de-risking those projects—both at scale and community assets—will be a vital role of GB Energy.

  Reaching net zero will be a partnership between the state, the private sector and the community. Government investment to help “crowd in” that private sector and community investment will be crucial. In that context, we often talk about new and developing technologies, but it is crucial not to forget existing, proven technologies.

  Full debate: Great British Energy Bill

• 5 Sep 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  We need a balanced approach. We are not against the energy transition, and we recognise that the transition will take time, but rushing it could have severe consequences for communities such as mine in Gordon and Buchan. We are after net zero, not absolute zero. They are different things, and we do not need to banish oil and gas from our energy mix immediately in order prematurely to be on the road to net zero.

  Full debate: Great British Energy Bill

• 01 Aug 2024: Tweet

  ????Following the Government's decision to remove investment allowances and increase & extend the windfall tax on #oilandgas companies, both @AndrewBowie_MP & I have written to the Chancellor & copied to the SoS for Energy & Net Zero, outlining our concerns & requesting a meeting. https://twitter.com/Harriet4Gor_Buc/status/1818966246546690441/photo/1 [Source]

• 26 Jul 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  However, I am going to focus on the key issue for my constituents and those across north-east Scotland, and that is the oil and gas sector: the jobs, expertise and investment that we will be putting at risk if the Government rush towards their green energy agenda. No matter how much the Minister may wish otherwise, we cannot and will not have a green energy revolution without the existing oil and gas sector, its skills and, crucially, its funding. The companies that make their money from oil and gas developments now are the key investors in our renewable energy sector and carbon capture projects—that is undeniable. We must make the UK an attractive place to invest in all energies in order to attract and keep multinational companies here, and to keep them investing here in the future. We have to draw only a very short line to realise that if we dismiss, alienate and penalise the traditional oil and gas parts of energy companies, the boards of those same companies will turn their backs on the UK for more sympathetic and attractive investment opportunities elsewhere. We would lose not just the current investment in oil and gas, but the potential for investment in renewable energy.

  Does the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero or the Minister expect that we will have stopped using oil and gas by 2030? Of course not, so why are we banning new oil and gas licences and cutting off our own domestic energy supply? Why are the Government happy to see tens of thousands of home-grown jobs put at risk, and why are they happy to increase our reliance on imports of oil and gas produced with a higher carbon footprint from more volatile markets overseas? If there is a reason other than simply to fulfil their narrative of being a “green energy superpower” I am yet to find it.

  The UK, thanks largely to Aberdeen and the north-east, has long been an energy superpower—an oil and gas superpower. That status, built over half a century, has led to the energy sector’s skills, expertise, companies and workforce being honed and housed in north-east Scotland—not just the subsurface and technical skills of the likes of geologists and engineers, but, crucially, the experts in supply chains. Those will be vital to the renewable energy projects of the future. Our workers in the oil and gas sector know how to deliver huge, multinational, high-budget projects—exactly the skills that will be needed to deliver the Government’s green energy revolution. Again, the Government risk losing those crucial skills by moving too fast and not planning for a jobs and skills transition alongside the energy transition.

  Full debate: Making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower

• 25 Jul 2024: Tweet

  Labour's drive to net zero at any cost risks 90,000 Scottish jobs - largely in #GordonAndBuchan & NE Scotland. The UK has already made huge strides in decarbonising, all while protecting the jobs, skills & investment vital to transiting to renewables. Labour must not risk this. https://twitter.com/Harriet4Gor_Buc/status/1816523000671612987/video/1 [Source]

• 19 Jul 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  The energy sector powers Aberdeenshire, from direct jobs and high-skilled employment to the associated services and hospitality sectors that rely on it. To the people of Gordon and Buchan and the north-east of Scotland, the debate on the future of the oil and gas sector is not really about energy security, markets or net zero; it is about our jobs and our livelihoods. It is about knowing that we have secure employment for the years to come and that our children will not have to move away to start their career, or that the bottom will not fall out of our local economy. I cannot imagine that any hon. Member would sit here and allow their constituency’s key employment sector to be run down or conceded, and I will not do that either.

  Full debate: Planning, the Green Belt and Rural Affairs

• 08 Dec 2023: Tweet

  Really positive morning in Kintore! ????️Being so close to Aberdeen many here work in the #oilandgas sector. There were strong views on what is seen as SNP’s & Labour’s total misunderstanding of the industry & the pivotal role of its workforce & expertise in achieving Net Zero . https://twitter.com/Harriet4Gor_Buc/status/1733204195958825095/photo/1 [Source]

• 29 Nov 2023: Tweet

  Very fortunate to speak with the Energy Security & NetZero Minster @grahamstuart MP. The UK’s progress to NetZero (greatest GH gas ⬇️ of all major economies!) alongside our steadfast support for the Oil&Gas sector & its transition is a real success story- esp for #Aberdeenshire. https://twitter.com/Harriet4Gor_Buc/status/1729860324717686906/photo/1 [Source]

• 16 Nov 2023: Tweet

  Good morning out chatting to residents in #Huntly on the doorsteps. Followed by a walk with the ???? up the local Clashmach hill - a perfect spot to see the wide range of land uses (agriculture ????????, forestry????, renewable energy ????️& rural towns/villages????️) across #GordonAndBuchan https://twitter.com/Harriet4Gor_Buc/status/1725207996769136657/photo/1 [Source]

• 13 Jun 2023: Tweet

  ????Businesses & communities in the North East know the Oil & Gas and Energy industry inside out ????They must be listened to & included in energy transition plans ????Sustainability for all living & working in #Aberdeenshire, not just sustainable energy, is vital to a just transition https://twitter.com/dlumsden/status/1668571604375285762 [Source]

• 18 Jan 2023: Tweet

  Sadly predictable yet potentially devastating for jobs & livelihoods across #Aberdeen & #Aberdeenshire. The vital Just Transition (or any sort of transition) will be less effective if our existing #oilandgas industry faces uncertainties which deter future planning & investment. https://twitter.com/BBCNorthEast/status/1615765453783314432 [Source]

• 01 Jan 2022: Tweet

  Or, ideally, get your heads down & work towards economic growth, job security and a just transition, educational excellence and improving infrastructure in #Aberdeenshire & across #Scotland? That really would be a happy New Year ???????? https://t.co/yyncnRBlI7 [Source]

• 22 Nov 2021: Tweet

  #NetZero transition is vital & offshoring production isnt the answer. While reliant on O&G,we should be investing in our energy sector-for: ????a faster green transition ????control of supply ????less reliance on foreign powers ????supporting UK #jobs (esp in #Aberdeen & #Aberdeenshire) [Source]

• 14 Apr 2021: Tweet

  Only @ScotTories a have a plan to support net-zero, jobs & our skilled workforce in #Aberdeen & beyond: ????The NorthSea Transition Deal???? ????Investing £16bn ????Developing carbon capture & renewable tech, to support & protect jobs ????Early targets to cut emissions ????Net-zero by 2045 https://twitter.com/Harriet4Donside/status/1382262084637954050/photo/1 [Source]

• 13 Apr 2021: Tweet

  The @ScotTories have a tangible plan for the environment - that protects jobs & targets net-zero by 2045. There are over 100k jobs in #Aberdeen, North East & across Scotland that depend on the North Sea - these jobs are part of the sustainable transition to net-zero. #STVDebate [Source]

• 05 Apr 2021: Tweet

  The⬇️in employment in #Aberdeen since the 2015 #oilandgas downturn has been accelerated #covid. #NorthEast Stats: ????5.5% fewer on payrolls ????21,500 #jobs lost in past 5 years ????>10k of these in past year A #NorthSea Transition Deal that supports both jobs & #NetZero is vital. https://twitter.com/pressjournal/status/1378951200175890438 [Source]

• 01 Apr 2021: Tweet

  Others parties think to achieve net-zero we “simply” turn off the #NorthSea #oilandgas industry This would devastate #jobs,#businesses & the economy of #Aberdeen ????We know action is needed to tackle climate change ????But a successful transition includes protecting our workforce https://twitter.com/James_A_Adams/status/1377303623772872704 [Source]

• 30 Mar 2021: Tweet

  Anas Sawar has made no reference to #jobs in the north east. The UK Gov are investing in a North Sea Transition Deal that will protect #jobs while transitioning to net zero. Only @ScotTories will stand up for & ensure a fair share for us here in the North East #BBCLeadersDebate [Source]