Grant Shapps will oversee the new office responsible for securing Britain’s future energy supply. PA
Grant Shapps will oversee the new office responsible for securing Britain’s future energy supply. PA
Grant Shapps will oversee the new office responsible for securing Britain’s future energy supply. PA
Grant Shapps will oversee the new office responsible for securing Britain’s future energy supply. PA

Rishi Sunak makes energy security and net zero highlights of cabinet reshuffle


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

Rishi Sunak has established a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of his first cabinet reshuffle.

The UK Prime Minister appointed Grant Shapps to oversee the new Whitehall office which will be responsible for securing the country's future energy supply and transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables.

No 10 Downing Street said the establishment of the department recognises “the need to secure more energy from domestic nuclear and renewable sources as we seize the opportunities of net zero”.

It is one of four new or redesigned government departments set up by the Sunak administration.

As part of his reshuffle just over 100 days into his time in No 10, Mr Sunak appointed Greg Hands as chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio.

He replaces Nadhim Zahawi who was sacked last week for breaching the ministerial code regarding his tax affairs.

Responding to his new appointment, Mr Shapps tweeted: “Delighted to become the first Secretary of State for the new Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. My focus will be securing our long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and thereby helping to halve inflation.”

Kemi Badenoch, former trade secretary, has been given the new title of Secretary for Business and Trade as part of the merging of the two departments. She will retain responsibility for trade negotiations, including the prospect of a UK-GCC free-trade agreement.

A dedicated Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be overseen by Michelle Donelan in an effort to “drive the innovation that will deliver improved public services, create new and better-paid jobs and grow the economy", No 10 said. George Freeman was named as a minister in the department.

Lucy Frazer has been appointed Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport to oversee a department that previously included the digital agenda. Graham Stuart has been named as a minister in the department. His previous title was minister for energy and climate at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Nusrat Ghani, who has previously claimed the Tory Party is institutionally Islamophobic, has been given the roles of Minister of State jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office. She previously served as minister for industry and investment security at BEIS.

During the Conservative leadership race last summer, Mr Sunak pledged to re-establish a stand-alone Department for Energy to secure the UK’s future power supply.

Energy security has been drawn into focus across Europe and the wider world since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a message posted on Twitter, Mr Sunak said: "The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will focus on giving the UK cheaper, cleaner, more secure sources of energy — cutting bills, cutting emissions, and cutting our dependence on international energy supplies, like those of Putin’s Russia."

He said the creation of new departments would help focus on issues that are important to the British people and "build a better future for our children and grandchildren".

No 10 said the issues of net zero and energy security were closely linked.

Asked if the creation of the new department would signal greater prioritisation of reaching the zero emissions target, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I think the public will judge us by our actions and our continued approach on net zero.

“We do think it’s right to more clearly pull out the government’s focus on that linkage to long-term energy security because the two very much go together.

“Seeking to achieve net zero is, in part, obviously about the importance of keeping 1.5°C alive, but equally it’s about making sure we have energy security, whether that’s offshore wind or nuclear.”

He said the creation of the new departments was not expected to incur additional costs. They are expected to be up and running from Tuesday, he added.

The Liberal Democrats claimed the reshuffle would cost £60 million.

Party spokeswoman Christine Jardine said Mr Sunak's “rudderless reshuffle” added weight to the claim he was “looking weaker by the day”.

“This reshuffle will cost the public millions while failing to change the trajectory of this government in crisis,” she said. “Rather than fritter away tens of millions of taxpayers’ cash on costly vanity projects, Sunak should spend the money where it’s most needed. This cash could fund 25 million free school meals.”

Mr Hands took to Twitter to post a photo of himself and the Prime Minister to celebrate his new role. He said he was “excited” to chair the Conservative Party after joining in 1986, and called his new position “an honour”.

“The work starts right away,” he wrote.

Lee Anderson was appointed deputy party chairman.

Lisa Fischer, an energy expert at climate-change think tank E3G, said the creation of an energy department with a transition focus could harness change.

“A separate energy department if linked with climate can give useful prominence and focus to the energy transition,” she said.

Sam Richard, founder and chief executive of Britain Remade, a pro-growth campaign group, said the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was "broadly pointless — unless the government is willing to overhaul the planning system at the same time".

"You can’t make the UK energy secure — or hit our net-zero targets — when it takes up to 13 years to build a new wind farm," Mr Richard added. "Only by reforming our broken planning system can we deliver the clean energy Britain needs and secure the thousands of well-paid jobs across the country that come from speeding up building new clean energy infrastructure.”

The reshuffle came hours after oil giant BP announced profits had hit record highs as the company benefitted from runaway energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine.

Last year BP’s profits more than doubled to £23 billion ($27.56 billion).

The company also said it had scaled back emissions reduction targets by a third, and would produce much more oil and gas by the end of the decade than previously thought.

Taxes on Britain’s oil and gas sector sit at 75 per cent — among the highest in the world.

Asked if the Prime Minister would consider increasing taxes on energy companies, his spokesman suggested there would be no change.

“We think we are striking the balance on [offering] cost-of-living support for families and businesses, whilst encouraging investment in the North Sea to boost things like the UK’s energy security,” the spokesman said on Tuesday.

UAE v IRELAND

All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi

1st ODI, Friday, January 8

2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10

3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12

4th ODI, Thursday, January 14

The 24-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).

MATCH INFO

England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)

New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
INDIA SQUAD

Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami

UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20turbocharged%204-cyl%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E300bhp%20(GT)%20330bhp%20(Modena)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh299%2C000%20(GT)%2C%20Dh369%2C000%20(Modena)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.

His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.

“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.

"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”

Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.

He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking. 

MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammed%20Alhussein%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Ghoneim%2C%20Abdullah%20Alsaeed%20and%20Malik%20Alyousef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Shorooq%20Partners%2C%20VentureSouq%2C%20Sukna%20Ventures%20and%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: February 07, 2023, 3:09 PM`