Voters will have to accept pylons or higher taxes, says Starmer
Voters will have to accept new pylons if they want lower energy bills as burying cables underground is too expensive, the Prime Minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer drew criticism last week after saying pylons were a necessary “trade-off” for clean energy during his speech to the Labour Party conference, with campaigners against new pylons in East Anglia saying he had thrown the region “under a bus”.
But the Prime Minister insisted this was not the case, saying the country had “shied away from these trade-offs for too long”.
He told reporters: “If you want lower energy bills, we’re going to have to have pylons above the ground.
“Yes, there is the option to put them below the ground – it costs much more money, and if there’s one consistent theme into and out of the last election, it’s that most people feel they’re already paying too much tax, and I don’t think many would put their hand up to pay more tax in relation to that.”
Opposition
Plans to build new pylons between Norwich and Tilbury, in Essex, have attracted local opposition, with new Suffolk MP and Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay saying there was “huge local concern about the impact on agricultural land, on traffic, on local communities, on the landscape”.
The pylons would carry electricity from wind farms off the coast of East Anglia, in line with the new Government’s commitment to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030.
National Grid has previously said it has considered alternatives and delaying the project would mean delaying access to cleaner energy in the region.
The Prime Minister said the Government would consult with people on projects, but added: “I do want to be clear: these are serious trade-offs that we’re going to have to make and we’re going to have to take those decisions.”
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As usual Starmer has little idea of what he is talking about. There is at least one UK based company that installs underground cables by cutting a very narrow trench laying the cable and backfilling in one operation with very little disruption and at a cost comparable to overhead cables.
Also these pylons are manufactured abroad and require maintenance and are not recyclable.How is it that they won be positioned near The National Botanic Gardens ,( upsetting the views)? There is far more to this than the public are being told,once again.!!!!
Starmer displays yet again how little real intelligence he possesses, mainly due to have operated in a confined bubble for too long and only listening to stuff that fits with his narrow view. Labour Party lumbered with a “successful” leader who’s about as useful as a wet paper bag. Now we are lumbered with him too along with his dopey sidekick Millipede the trainee sandwich muncher.
You voted for this – are you enjoying the sunlit uplands?
I would happily pay a bit more in tax to make sure the cables were put underground.
I would be even happier to pay much more in tax to fund winter fuel allowance for OAPs, a fully funded NHS, and to have rail, mail, water and energy all re-nationalised!
If you are one of those super wealthy types that Keir and Co are protecting I’d happily collect the tax off you to pay for those things. However it is quite evident that the elites will remain protected and us serfs will pay up.
I’m not one of those super wealthy types, far from it. I am actually one of the serfs.
The photograph illustrating this news item certainly looks ominous and even somewhat intimidating, but despite that I do wonder if the reality in most places would turn out to look as formidable as this accompanying photograph suggests. I say that because I was born and brought up in south Manchester within barely more than a mile of the points where suburbia ended and open rural countryside still persisted. The whole area had lines of electricity pylons stalking the countryside, and in all honesty I never saw them as any sort of abominable blight: I just accepted them as a feature… Read more »
“We want cheap green leccy!!!!”
“Wotchamean, it doesn’t appear by magic?”
Has starmer actually read the costings comparisons between pythons and trenches or has some lobbyists told him its expensive?
If involves pythons I’ll buy one and shove it down his trousers.
Quickest way to empty a trench, throw a handful of pythons into it…
Now if you crossed a Mole with an Elephant…
Speaking of Moles Ms Patel needs her collar felt…
Reports are in the Parliament domain. Quick précis, they say it is far more expensive per km than overhead. They cite evidence.
Er, does Sir K know that electricity infrastructure is not paid for through taxation?
The real fight should be :-
“No unreliable erratic ineffective Wind Turbines = No Pylons and No Cables”
Except that isn’t true, we need lots more electricity no matter how it’s made
Power lines underground are more secure when war breaks out so cheaper in the long run!