UK ‘will still meet net zero targets’ despite new oil and gas licences being granted, says minister – UK politics live | Politics

Grant Shapps has insisted that the Bibby Stockholm barge that will house asylum seekers is not a “deathtrap”.

The first 50 people were due to be moved onto the 222-bedroom Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset this week but a Home Office source confirmed that there would be further delays in the use of the barge until sign off from health and safety officials is obtained.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said it is planning to write to the Home Office about overcrowding and access to fire exits on the vessel.

Rishi Sunak is now under increasing pressure to explain why the government persists in planning to use the barge, which has been condemned by refugee organisations for being costly, cruel and inhumane.

“As the only professional voice, firefighters believe the Bibby Stockholm to be a potential deathtrap,” FBU’s assistant general secretary, Ben Selby told the Guardian.

The barge has 222 cabins along narrow corridors over three decks, with two main exits. The evacuation point for those onboard is a compound on the quayside, which councillors have described as “completely inadequate” for about 550 people.

Councillors who visited the barge last week were told there are no lifejackets onboard and have expressed concerns that locked gates could cause a crush in an emergency.

The energy secretary, however, sought to refute the FBU’s warning, telling ITV’s Good Morning Britain:

It certainly won’t be a deathtrap.

This actual ship was previously used by Germany to house migrants, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be absolutely safe. Ships are used to transport people all the time and there’s no inherent reason why that (not being safe) would be the case.

That’s actually why these final safety checks are being carried out.

Nicola Slawson

Grant Shapps has said it would be “irresponsible” not to grant new oil and gas licences in the North Sea and insisted the UK will “still meet our net zero targets”.

The energy security secretary told Times Radio that The North Sea basin is very mature and is “effectively running out”.

He said:

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) says that in order to meet the goals of 1.5% (degrees Celsius), no more than 1.5% warming, we would need to reduce by 4% a year the amount of oil and gas.

We are, even with these licences, on a trajectory to reduce by 7% a year because we’re running out of oil and gas in the North Sea.

So, you can see that having these licences is entirely compatible with and actually irresponsible not to grant them if we’re going to both secure the energy security of British homes and businesses, but also get to net zero.

So, it’s a very sensible, rational thing for us to be doing.

He told GB News that he is meeting with energy companies “who are going to invest £100 billion in renewables” at No 10 today.

He said:

Everyone supports this country’s transition to net zero but we cannot get there by telling people ‘we’re simply going to stop using oil and gas’.

The only way to do that would be to tell people ‘don’t put your gas boiler on, don’t drive a petrol car’, and do that almost instantaneously.

Unless you do that, what you’re really saying is ‘we’re not going to dig our own oil and gas, we’ll import instead’.

Yes, we’ll have more oil and gas licences, but we’ll still meet our net zero targets because we’re also massively investing in all these renewables as well.

Shapps denied the government has not been doing anything to boost UK energy security.

He said:

We’ve been moving very fast. This is just the latest round of investment into renewables by some of the very biggest energy companies in the land.

I will be looking after the politics blog today. If you have any tips or suggestions, please get in touch: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com