Tory leader hears of North East energy struggles
LDRSRepresentatives from the chemical industry have spoken of the impact of soaring energy prices amid the conflict in the Middle East, as Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch visited a Teesside plant.
Badenoch heard concerns about difficult trading conditions during a campaign visit to the giant Wilton International complex near Redcar.
The Tories said they would scrap carbon taxes on British industry if they won power at a general election, and would scrap schemes to limit emissions by heavy industry.
Industry Minister and Stockton North Labour MP Chris McDonald said Badenoch's pledge was "wrong and it would hammer industry".
About 2,000 people are directly employed at the Wilton site, with a further 4,000 indirect jobs linked to it, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Badenoch spoke to staff at Huntsman, which produces the raw material aniline for polyurethanes, which is used in anything from car seats to aircraft components and trainers.
Tim Carter, a site operations manager at the firm, said they were paying "six or seven times" more for energy.
He said: "This is a 60-year-old site, we have spent tens of millions of pounds to be more efficient, but ultimately some of these prices are undermining our competitiveness."
'Policy change'
Last month, the government provided a £100m grant to enable the Ensus biofuels plant on Wilton to re-start operations after fears about shortages of CO2, a by-product of its processes.
Others present included executives from the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) and the Chemical Industries Association.
Joanne Smith, the CEO of NEPIC, which has about 300 members in the chemical, pharmaceutical and process industries, said Wilton was the "heartbeat" of the area, but her members were facing trade tariff issues.
She said: "It's policy change we are looking for and having the right policy conditions for the sector, while also helping to bring on new innovation coming through."
BBC/Luke WaltonNo council elections are taking place in Redcar this year, but voters will head to the polls to elect members of Hartlepool Borough Council on 7 May.
Badenoch also visited Sunderland - where elections are also being held - to meet local activists and businesses. Last month, Reform leader Nigel Farage launched his party's local election campaign in the city.
Badenoch said if she became prime minister, measures she would implement would include scrapping VAT for energy bills and "stopping wasteful energy subsidies".
"We are losing the manufacturing industry, and we need to do better for these companies," she said.
Reform has also said it would scrap all carbon taxes if it won power.
The Liberal Democrats support using carbon taxes to achieve net-zero emissions.
The Green Party has proposed a major carbon tax on all fossil fuel imports and domestic extraction.