Steve Bailey

.@andyburnham, the British public does not need a lecture about global events. We can see what is happening in the world. What we need is a Prime Minister prepared to explain why Britain has been left so dangerously exposed, and what his government intends to do about it. Instead, you offer us Google Maps. Britain faces a serious energy crisis, households are watching their bills climb, businesses are struggling, and your answer is to tell motorists where they can find petrol a few pence cheaper. A price comparison feature may be useful, but it's not an energy policy. Dressing it up as meaningful government action insults the intelligence of those paying the bills. You say global events are pushing up prices. Of course they are. But they do not explain every decision taken in Westminster over the past two decades, nor excuse the choices made by your party. Britain sits on substantial oil and gas resources in the North Sea. Yet we have pursued policies that discourage domestic investment, create uncertainty and increase our dependence on international markets. We impose punitive taxes on producers while relying on their energy. We have allowed domestic capacity to decline without ensuring reliable, affordable alternatives are ready. And then ministers express astonishment when international disruption sends prices soaring. Ed Miliband has repeatedly reminded Parliament that Britain is a price taker in global fossil fuel markets. He is correct. But if your government understands that vulnerability, why pursue policies that discourage domestic production and leave us increasingly dependent on imports? Nobody sensible claims another North Sea well would determine the world oil price. But domestic production matters for security of supply, jobs, tax revenues, investment and reducing dependence on foreign producers. Those benefits do not disappear because oil is traded internationally. Energy security also requires adequate storage, dependable generating capacity, a functioning electricity grid, nuclear investment and an honest assessment of what the transition to renewables will cost. Energy is the foundation of a modern industrial economy, not merely another opportunity to announce a target. Your government inherited serious failures from its predecessors. But Labour was elected to govern, not to spend its time explaining why everything is somebody else's fault. Your party has made its own choices. It has defended restrictions on North Sea exploration, maintained a hostile investment environment for domestic oil and gas, and placed extraordinary faith in a rapid energy transition without adequately answering questions of affordability, reliability and security. Those are political decisions, Mr Burnham. They have consequences. What makes your message particularly galling is the contrast between the scale of the problem and the triviality of the remedy. People are not worried because they cannot find the cheapest petrol station. They are worried because getting to work, heating their homes, running businesses and buying essentials keeps getting more expensive. They were promised Labour's energy policies would bring bills down. They were told Britain would become an energy superpower. Yet when another severe price shock arrives, your answer is to shop around. A serious government would review barriers to domestic production, accelerate dependable energy infrastructure, address storage vulnerabilities and publish a credible plan to protect households and industry from prolonged disruption. So yes, Mr Burnham, global events are driving prices higher. But Britain's vulnerability is not simply an act of God. It reflects years of political choices, including those your party continues to defend. The British people understand the difference between saving a few pence at the pump and securing the energy future of an entire nation. The question is whether their Prime Minister does.