Speeches by White.

“Thank you, Chair, for that question. If we look at the statistics, the polling numbers are, surprisingly—I say that as a Member of Parliament, because sometimes perception is different—incredibly high, in terms of the British public supporting taking action on climate change. We do regular assessments, but 79% of the p…”

“If what you are saying, Chair, is that people want to tackle climate change and at the same time reduce their cost of living, I completely agree with you. People want both those things. We as a Government have to meet both of those needs: we need to make sure that we are leading the transition to a low-carbon Britain, …”

“I think there is absolutely more to do to make that clear.”

“First, in terms of the risks and what is happening in our country at the moment, I think you just spoke to Neil Morisetti about what the risks are and what is happening in our country at the moment. Colleagues have been flooded—what is the impact of that? We need to make sure that people are aware of why we are taking …”

“I think it should be multiple message carriers. I am working with multiple message carriers. We work with the Net Zero Council, which was relaunched under the Secretary of State, and a great selection of individuals, from trade union leaders to corporate leaders to leaders of NGOs, within that. Each of them has a role …”

“Absolutely.”

“You referred to some of the interventions we have already made. We have doubled the warm homes discount, so it is now available to 6 million people over the course of this winter. We will be taking, as you rightly mention, £150 off energy costs thanks to the announcements in the Budget. Obviously, we had the warm homes…”

“We are looking at all options—don’t get me in trouble!”

“That is a great question. To be honest, I am not sure that most members of the public know what net zero means. It is a term that, in some ways, has become weaponised, but it is a policy term that is used as part of a long-term direction. Is it a useful term? It is something we have done to set the long-term trajectory…”

“If you are saying that the language should be more appropriate and accessible, I agree with that 100%. Language is very inaccessible in this debate and people do not know what the terms mean.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent question, and for her championing of Bradford council and her constituency. District heat presents a massive opportunity, as I have seen at first hand in Sheffield and Leeds, and, as the Secretary of State pointed out, there are some excellent projects in Cornwall as well. It is…”

“Local councils play a pivotal role. I work closely with the local net zero delivery group and with UK100, and I have been fortunate enough to visit the Labour-run councils in Leeds and Sheffield to see the excellent local work that they have been doing to support net zero. The hon. Gentleman has made an excellent point…”

“Happy new year, Mr Speaker. The Department works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Support for councils includes the local net zero hubs—such as the Greater South East net zero hub, which covers the Eastbourne constituency—and Great British Energy, enabling councils and communities…”

“I enjoyed being part of the hon. Gentleman’s sunshine debate. I have been excited to work closely with the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, who is with us in the Chamber, and we look forward to the future homes standards coming shortly.”

“The Secretary of State regularly meets Cabinet colleagues about these issues. This Government are absolutely clear that any expansion of Heathrow must be compatible with our legally binding carbon budgets and net zero targets. We are committed to ensuring that the economic benefits of airport expansions are delivered i…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I have really enjoyed the debate, which has been full of passion and emotion. I heard the anger, including in what my hon. Friend the Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman) said, but I also heard that there is a lot of commonality in some of our …”

“I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman intervened, as I was going to come on to his points—in particular, his interesting point about the national interest. I say to him gently that I feel we are working in the national interest, but the national interest includes energy security as well as respecting the science of c…”

“Thank you, Mr Western. That is why, in June, we convened the first ministerial roundtable with the refining industry in more than a decade, providing a clear signal of our commitment to partnership and dialogue. As announced in the autumn Budget, we will shortly launch a call for evidence to inform the UK’s long-term s…”

“I will ensure that the Minister for Energy is aware of his issues and feeds them in. I am sure he will—I believe he is a friend of the hon. Gentleman. This is a genuinely transformative package of investment, and by providing that support, as well as clarity in our plans, we are giving investors and developers the conf…”

“It certainly is! I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend (Mary Glindon) on securing a debate on this important issue, and on her passion, authenticity and representation of her area. I do not think that any of us are in doubt of those qualities tonight. I know that this matter…”