Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has called on the Labour Party to take responsibility for the costs resulting from the recent “criminal damage” caused by Just Stop Oil activists during their protest at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Mr Shapps believes it is the party’s obligation, not taxpayers, to pay for the damages.
In a letter to Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, Grant Shapps stated, “I am writing to you to ask you to pay to repair the damage to the department. The British public should not have to pay for your mates in Just Stop Oil.”
Mr Shapps estimated the damages to be around £3,000 to £4,000 and informed the Labour Party that they will receive an invoice for the necessary repairs.
The protest marks the fourth attack on the department by Just Stop Oil activists in the past 18 months, the Energy Security Secretary added.
During the protest, two Just Stop Oil supporters spray-painted the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
They demanded an immediate halt to new licenses and consents for oil, gas and coal projects in the UK.
In defence of their actions, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson stated, “The people in this department are making decisions that will lead to the destruction of human civilisation. They are threatening our lives, and the younger generation will demand justice for these crimes.”
The Energy Security Secretary pointed out the financial ties between the Labour Party and Just Stop Oil, mentioning the party’s acceptance of significant donations, totalling £1.5 million, from one of the activist group’s major contributors, Dale Vince.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson told Energy Live News (ELN): “Grant Shapps is acting like a school boy at the end of term. Forgetting the name of his own department and writing pointless letters at the expense of doing his real job.
“Apart from the Tories, every political party at Westminster, together with the Welsh and Scottish Governments are opposed to new oil and gas. They are listening to the scientists, the International Energy Agency and the UN who say that we need rapidly phase down fossil fuel use to avoid climate catastrophe.”
ELN has reached out to the Labour Party for comment.
I’ve written to @Keir_Starmer to request he pays for the criminal damage the Just Stop Oil attacks on the Energy Security Department caused this morning
As the political wing of Just Stop Oil, it is the Labour Party not the taxpayer that should be paying the bill pic.twitter.com/UAPT6gWUEK
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 19, 2023
