More North Sea drilling will put UK at mercy of fossil fuel markets, ministers say

Ed Miliband insists only clean power will provide ‘energy sovereignty’ amid opposition calls for oil and gas expansion

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Ministers have said expanding North Sea drilling would put the UK at further risk of volatile fossil fuel markets, amid calls from the Conservatives and some Labour MPs to breach the manifesto pledge of no new oil and gas licences.

The energy minister, Michael Shanks, said the UK was “learning the right lessons from this conflict so that we’re not exposed to fossil fuels in the same way again, because this isn’t the first time that households across the country have paid the price of our exposure to gas”.