Two years ago, Russia’s illegal and shameful invasion of Ukraine brought a land war to the European Continent for the first time in over 70 years.
If anyone was still in any doubt about the damage Putin is doing to both Ukraine and Russia, the death last week of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Sberian prison highlights Russia’s journey back to a brutal one man dictatorship.
Many of us were with our constituents and Ukrainian residents last weekend in solidarity as the people of Ukraine continue to fight for liberty.
I was thinking especially of the families I met in Ukraine before Christmas, physically divided by conflict and casualties, and united in determination and sadness: and the children I met studying in air raid shelters.
We in the West, following our sanctions, saw our energy prices spike sharply as Putin restricted gas exports to Europe.
And although household energy bills are starting to stabilise, the UK cannot rely on risky foreign gas imports from undemocratic countries.
As global tensions rise, especially in the Middle East, it is vital we speed up plans to develop more domestic energy to ensure our long-term energy security.
I recognise this includes new domestic gas fields in the short term, and the government is also right to press ahead with more nuclear, at Sizewell C and beyond, through Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and in pursuit of nuclear fusion.
But there is much more to do on renewables as well.
Lifting the de facto ban on onshore wind, where there is community support, is one step: and ensuring a big and successful renewables auction this year, especially for offshore wind, is key.
I believe there is an opportunity to introduce wave technology into a marine energy pot, currently all focused on tidal technologies so that we can use all our relevant natural resources.
To do so most effectively, the government should also look to introduce mandatory community benefits.
If local residents can see a new renewables project will for example, reduce their own energy bills, while also giving developers more certainty, then this should speed up planning and delivery on more home grown energy.
And this in turn would help us to stop lining Putin’s pockets and to strengthen our own public finances – because we’d need fewer taxpayer subsidies to pay our energy bills.
This is the hard headed, pragmatic and environmentally right way forward, and we have to help the government stick with all parts of the mission.
