Local Labour MP Henry Tufnell, has been accused by Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth of preferring the “drill-baby-drill” tactics of Donald Trump to the energy policies of his own government.

In March, the MP for South Pembrokeshire had an article published in a national newspaper in which he attacked the UK Government for saying no to new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth has responded in correspondence which accused him of choosing ‘right-wing propaganda’ ahead of thoroughly researched expert information.

A spokesperson for the group said: “The UK Energy Research Council has stated that ‘squeezing additional oil and gas production from the UK will have negligible impact on the UK cost of living ‘.

“It concludes that the priority for the UK should be to capture ‘the full economic and social opportunities offered by renewable energy’ and describes the sort of arguments put forward by Mr Tufnell as ‘a delusion’.

“The MP’s claim that further drilling for North sea oil and gas would boost employment is also kicked into touch. The Climate Change Committee has concluded that job losses in the fossil fuel sector due to the transition to net zero would be outweighed by ‘extensive job creation’ in sectors such as renewable energy, retrofitting and electric vehicles.

“And the MP’s call for the removal of carbon taxes in manufacturing shows a massive ignorance of the threat posed by climate change and the urgent need to reduce it.

“The fact that the MP has refused to reply to our letter, despite promising to do so in a face-to-face conversation in Narberth in April, suggests that he either has more respect for a London tabloid newspaper than for his own constituents or is having difficulty justifying the viewpoints he presented,” they added.

In response, Mr Tufnell said that he was ‘immensely grateful’ for the vital work that Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth do in pushing for environmental action; but that the transition to ‘clean energy’ must be a just one, as Pembrokeshire’s energy sector has powered the UK for decades.

“I was proud to support them last month by attending their screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing film, which highlighted the urgent threats to British life from ongoing damage to our nature and climate. Their dedication reflects the importance of tackling the climate crisis,” he stated.

“Pembrokeshire is uniquely placed to lead this charge. Our county has exciting potentialin floating offshore wind, hydrogen, Carbon, Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS), Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and battery storage.

“We are also incredibly proud of our natural environment – our coastline, rivers, wildlife - and our community is committed to protecting it.

“However, the transition to clean energy must be a just one. Pembrokeshire’s energy sector has powered the UK for decades, and still supplies 20% of the country's energy demand.

“I am calling on the Government to protect our established energy industries by cutting carbon taxes. Failure to act puts jobs and livelihoods in industrial communities like ours at risk. Decarbonisation cannot come at the cost of deindustrialisation and greater deprivation in our county.

“Across the UK, households and businesses have felt the impact of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. To better protect them from these geopolitical storms, we must strengthen our energy security by making full use of the resources we have here in the UK, rather than relying on imports.

“Oil and gas will remain part of our energy mix for decades to come. It therefore makes sense to use our domestic resources.

“Doing so will not only strengthen our energy security, but support British industry – protecting jobs, boosting tax revenue, cutting our trade deficit and strengthening the economy.

“I will continue to work hard to ensure we have a just energy transition, protecting the jobs and skills base of today, while building the industries of tomorrow,” he added.