Climate Change

John Whitby Excerpts

Wednesday 24th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

It is fitting that we are debating carbon budget 7 on the hottest June day in our history. I am sure that there are a few contributory factors to the latest heatwave, but we all know that one of those factors is that there is simply too much carbon in the atmosphere as a result of mankind’s activities since industrialisation. I am pleased to say that there has been a great deal of activity in this space in the previous two years, in particular on renewables. Our territorial emissions, according to Carbon Brief, are now the lowest since 1872. We are now halfway to getting to net zero, but the low-hanging fruit has been picked and the harder-to-decarbonise sectors are still emitting.

Every tonne of carbon that we do not emit is better than having to remove it later, but it is increasingly clear that emissions reductions alone will not be enough. Some sectors will remain difficult to fully decarbonise. If we are serious about reaching net zero, greenhouse gas removals will have to play a crucial role. I am pleased to say that since coming to power the Government have commissioned the independent review of greenhouse gas removals, chaired by Alan Whitehead. The Whitehead review stated that greenhouse gas removals have

“a supplementary but essential role in achieving net zero”.

The Climate Change Committee has made it clear that we cannot get to net zero without greenhouse gas removals. It would be helpful if the Minister can say when the Government will respond to the Whitehead review and what their position is on two key recommendations from the report. First, the report suggests changing the sustainable aviation fuels mandate to become a net zero aviation mandate, using greenhouse gas removals to ensure that by 2045

“all flights taking off from the UK are made climate-neutral.”

With the Government not focusing on demand management and clearly looking at airport expansion, and not assuming the same level of behavioural change that the Climate Change Committee is expecting, even more weight should be thrown behind removals and specifically direct air capture.

To enable more greenhouse gas removals, the report recommends that the Government accelerate planned policies to enable non-pipeline transport. It states that the Government should also accelerate decisions on the future carbon capture, usage and storage clusters. We have one of those right on the edge of my constituency. The Hope valley is home to the Peak Cluster, the world’s largest cement decarbonisation project. If we are to build the 1.5 million homes that we need and all the roads, bridges and workplaces to support them, we will need cement, but it remains one of the most difficult industries to decarbonise, because much of the carbon dioxide is produced through the chemical process of making cement itself.

For that reason, carbon capture is not an optional extra; it is essential. By capturing carbon emissions from cement and lime production and transporting them for permanent storage, the project has the potential to decarbonise about 40% of UK cement and lime production, while protecting the thousands of jobs currently in the sector and adding new skilled green jobs. It will prevent 3 million tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere per year. Let me put that in context: it is about a quarter of the emissions from the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. This is exactly the kind of project that shows how climate action and economic growth can go hand in hand.

I welcome the Government’s support so far, and the National Wealth Fund’s investment announced last year—that support has been important—but if we are to unlock the full potential of projects such as Peak Cluster, industry needs certainty, investors need confidence, and businesses need to know that there is a clear route to market for carbon capture projects beyond the existing track 1 and 2 programmes.

The carbon budget process makes the Government of the day think in the longer term, because addressing climate change cannot be done quickly, but we need to stick to the path for our food security, our national security, our public health and our economy. I encourage the Government to match their ambition with the urgency that this moment demands.

Oral Answers to Questions

John Whitby Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Michael Shanks]

As I have said before from the Dispatch Box, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on live applications for obvious reasons. We look at every single application on its merits; even though we have ambitions for where we want to get to, individual planning applications are considered on the individual merits on which they are presented.

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

Peak Cluster in the Hope valley is a cement decarbonisation project looking to prevent 3 million tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere every year. Will the Minister commit to establishing a clear route to market for industrial carbon capture projects beyond track 1 and track 2 clusters, which would offer projects like Peak Cluster greater certainty?

[Michael Shanks]

We see carbon capture as a hugely important part of how we decarbonise, and we have supported clusters already. We are looking at what a future model could look like; equally, we need to see other projects coming forward on commercial terms to ensure that they are viable. I continue to meet with all the clusters, and I chair the CCUS taskforce to ensure that we are doing as much as we can.

Heating Oil Support

John Whitby Excerpts

Monday 16th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

I very much welcome the Government listening and acting so quickly on this subject. On 5 March, one of my constituents had an order of 500 litres of heating oil cancelled and was invited to remake the order, but he was then told that it would cost around twice as much as the previous order. Rob, who is on the state pension and is a wheelchair-user, could not afford to remake the order and therefore has had no central heating from 5 March. Does the Minister agree that all providers should be honouring contracts previously made?

[Martin McCluskey]

I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that case to my attention, and I ask him to write to me with more details. From conversations about this case and others that have been mentioned across the House, it is clear why we need regulation in this market and why we need to investigate it. I am glad that the CMA is taking that forward.

Local Power Plan

John Whitby Excerpts

Tuesday 10th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We have carried out a big overhaul of the grid connections queue, which, as he knows, was sort of like the wild west. There was a chaotic “first come, first served” queuing system. The National Energy System Operator has done a big reordering of the queue, but we still have to put pressure on the transmission operators, to make sure that they deliver. I encourage him to write to my hon. Friend the Minister for Energy about the project, and we will take that up with the National Grid.

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

I have spoken to groups across my constituency such as Transition Crich and Derbyshire Dales Community Energy, which are working to create new community-owned energy projects in order to cut bills and drive down emissions. The £1 billion announced today will significantly help with their aims. However, these groups will grow faster if they are able to sell their energy directly to households in their communities. Could the Secretary of State therefore update us on what plans he has to implement local supply rights for community energy schemes?

[Ed Miliband]

We are right into the nerdery here—and it is really important nerdery. My hon. Friend makes an essential point about the ability to sell this power back into the grid. I assure him that we are working on this with Ofgem to improve the offer to local community groups, because it is an essential part of ensuring that economic value goes to groups, including those in his constituency.