Hitchin & Harpenden’s Member of Parliament Bim Afolami MP has hailed the creation of a new Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, as he welcomed the shake up of Government announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday (Tuesday 7th February).
The Prime Minister has replaced the Departments for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (on whose Select Committee Mr Afolami had been a member); Trade; and Digital, Culture, Media and Sport with four new Departments.
The new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will work to secure our long-term energy supply, bringing down energy bills and tackling inflation. The new Department’s creation is in response to the impact rising prices have had on households as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the need to secure more energy from renewable and sustainable sources as part of the road to net zero.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be focussed on driving innovation to improve public services, create new jobs and grow the economy. This new Department tasked with turning scientific and technical innovations into practical solutions to the challenges facing Britain is designed to help make sure the UK is the most innovative economy in the world.
The combined Department for Business and Trade will look to support growth by backing British businesses at home and abroad, promoting investment and championing free trade.
And the re-focused Department for Culture, Media and Sport will build on the key role of these industries in our economy and strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in the creative arts.
Bim Afolami MP said,
“Ensuring that we have the right structure in Whitehall to deliver the priorities of local people in Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages is vitally important. The changes to Government Departments announced yesterday looks like a positive move to ensure that we have a laser focus on growth, innovation, culture and energy security.
“With the creation of the new Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, the UK demonstrates its steadfast commitment to both forging a dependable, domestic energy supply and reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, recognising that these two key policy themes are inexorably linked.”
