Sir Keir Starmer accused of helping Putin and putting at risk thousands of jobs

SIR Keir Starmer was accused of helping Putin and putting at risk thousands of jobs after Labour confirmed plans to switch off our energy supplies.

The Labour chief will block all new oil and gas licences if he makes it into No10 – despite energy prices remaining sky-high.

And he will only allow ministers to borrow cash for investment if it’s green.

Ministers accused him of putting at risk Britain’s energy independence to achieve climate goals – and say we need gas as a transition fuel at least in the medium term until renewables come online.

And cutting off our own supply could mean Britain has to rely more on importing it from Saudi Arabia – or even Russia.

Only around 45 per cent of Britain’s gas is from home-grown production, and the rest comes in from overseas.

Most Brits used gas to heat boilers and their homes – and 42 per cent of electricity comes from gas at the moment.

Sir Keir previously said: “What we’ve said about oil and gas is there does need to be a transition … not new investment, not new fields up in the North Sea, because we need to go towards net-zero, we need to ensure that renewable energy is where we go next.”

But last night Energy Secretary Grant Shapps hit out: “In the midst of high energy prices for families, Labour’s ideological vendetta against British energy independence not only risks hundreds of thousands of jobs but strengthens Putin’s campaign to use energy as a weapon against the west.

“The Conservatives are taking a pragmatic approach supporting sectors that have enabled us to end our reliance on Russian oil and gas, while investing in the clean technologies we need for the future.”