Prime minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to drop the government’s de facto ban on onshore wind in England with rebel Tory MPs set to force the issue to a House of Commons vote in the coming days.
Simon Clarke, who was levelling-up secretary under former prime minister Liz Truss, has tabled an amendment to the levelling-up and regeneration bill which is currently before Parliament.
Clarke said the politics around wind turbines had changed since the Cameron ban seven years ago. “I think there is such a compelling case in terms of economic, environmental and political rationale as well as energy security, to put decisions on wind farms in the hands of local communities rather than having a hardline block,” he said.