The Prime Minister promised an announcement on energy security before the Commons recess. His failure to do so may reflect the deep divisions in the Cabinet or just as likely his desire to avoid parliamentary scrutiny. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has demonstrated the fragility of our energy supply but the roots of that insecurity predate the current crisis. In the last decade too few homes have been made energy efficient, storage facilities were closed leaving the country at the mercy of short term price hikes, nuclear power has been delayed and the development of renewables like wind power, solar or tidal has been slow. The result has turned an energy problem into a crisis.

There are some quack remedies out there including fracking or a return to fossil fuels. What is needed is a turbo boost to cheap. clean home grown renewables. On Tyneside we are well placed to be part of that turbine manufacturing revolution as we transition from a reliance on North Sea oil and gas. Only then can we achieve energy security but it will take time.

Households know we are already in an energy crisis. This month bills are set to rise by an average of £693 a year with worse to come in October. As energy and petrol bills rise the Government gets more in tax receipts and the oil and gas companies see profits soar. So we need a reduction in VAT and a windfall tax which would lower household bills by up to £600.

Households can’t afford to wait – the pain is happening now