On 24th June, taking full advantage of many friends and associates gathering in London for the ARC Conference, we hosted a drinks reception at the Belvedere restaurant in Holland Park. The focus of the evening was energy policy, and the need for Britain to release itself from the destructive Net Zero agenda in order to restore itself to national prosperity.
Opening remarks were given by our new CEO Paul Coleman, welcoming guests to his first PI event on just his third day leading the organisation. Paul explained that, after fifteen years in Europe, he was drawn back to Britain out a deep desire to see his homeland prosper once again, and noted that two vital ingredients in such prosperity are cheap, abundant energy and strong political leadership. With this in mind, Paul introduced Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia from 2013-2015. Mr Abbott spoke of his success in repealing Australia’s carbon tax, and urged British policymakers, think tankers, and industry figures to continue to fight against the Net Zero regime which has made Britain’s energy prices among the highest in the developed world. Later, we heard from Rich Walsh, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Valero Energy, a US-based fuel producer who operate one of the UK’s four remaining oil refineries in Pembrokeshire. He warned of the urgent need to avert British industrial decline, reminding us that two UK refineries closed last year, and the necessity of having a globally competitive energy policy.
The evening brought together an international selection of politicians, think tankers, and energy industry professionals, and follows on from our influential reports on the dangers facing British industry and the history of Britain’s broken energy market.