Keir Starmer has become the Just Stop Oil candidate

So, Just Stop Oil is now His Majesty’s Official Opposition. Keir Starmer has adopted the group’s main demand – no development of new oil and gas reserves – as his own. Presumably he hopes to attract green votes, especially in Scotland where the SNP has a similar policy. But it means going into the next election with a policy which is both economically and environmentally illiterate.

Even with a drive towards clean energy – and even if tricky targets to outlaw new gas boilers and petrol and diesel cars could be met – Britain is going to remain dependent on oil and gas for decades to come. In spite of a boom in the construction of wind and solar farms, solar and wind currently accounts for little over 4 per cent of our total energy needs.

The rapid construction of wind and solar farms is embedding dependence on gas for electricity generation because it is needed to balance the supply from intermittent renewables.