'It is independence that matters most,' says Spalding-based MP

Here is the weekly Hayes in the House column by MP Sir John Hayes...

An intertwined, interdependent globalised economy, beloved by naive internationalists and greedy global corporates like Amazon and Google, is deeply dangerous.

What is unfolding before our eyes – as we witness brave Ukrainians fighting to save their nation - shows that it is independence that matters most.

Food and energy, rooted in local production and powered by domestic control, fuel our national interest and nourish the common good.

At last, energy security is being taken seriously.

The need for a diversified domestic energy supply is abundantly clear. Which is why the Government’s recently published Energy Strategy, though long overdue, is welcome.

This comprehensive plan acknowledges that a mix of nuclear, renewables and gas is vital if we are to reduce our reliance on foreign energy supplies and consequent vulnerability to geopolitics.

How we achieve our goal of energy self-sufficiency, balancing present with future needs, will determine what we plan now. The new emphasis on nuclear energy is most welcome of all.

The Government’s commitment to deliver one nuclear reactor a year ought to have been made by its predecessors of all political colours.

Proposals for renewable energy must be legitimised by efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as by the damage they may do.

Unless every proposal is so measured, communities will not welcome what development brings.

Of specific concern are land-intensive renewable proposals which pose a risk to food security.

Solar energy has a huge role to play in providing the power we need, but the loss of good quality arable land, means we must be cautious that its benefit doesn’t outweigh the damage caused.

We should populate industrial commercial and public buildings with solar panels long before we consider putting them in fields, remote from energy needs.

If not, transmission and distribution costs, which already represent around 15% of every energy bill, will continue to soar.

Huge solar installations have recently become a point of fascination for many profit-hungry businesses and some careless landowners.

With the flat land of Lincolnshire subject to a number of such applications, the struggle to preserve the balance between food and energy security will take place in the fields of our county.

There is a particular application called Mallard Pass, near the border with Rutland, involving 2,170 acres of productive land, which raises the deep concerns highlighted by my colleague, Gareth Davies MP.

Having campaigned for a quarter of a century for the protection of our farmland and landscape, as I said in Parliament last month, it is crucial that energy supply be placed as close as possible to the parts of Britain where demand is greatest.

At a time of international uncertainty, food security is as important as the provision of energy, so the best land for farming and growing must be protected - our food self-sufficiency, 75% in 1985, is now just 60%!

As we look forward to a future in which we must protect our economy from international risks, this is not the time to lose arable farmland that can guarantee our independence.

Instead, we should grow and graze more so that consumers have British produce on their plates.

Domestic production of our food means shortening the food chain, reducing the amount of ‘food miles’ travelled.

Surely, we cannot continence the farcical waste of energy which comes from bringing in foodstuffs from far flung places which could be made here in Britain.

Food and energy security can help to keep us safe in an uncertain world full of dangers.