Energy Development Proposals: Mid Buckinghamshire

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 9:30 pm on 3 February 2025.

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Photo of Greg Smith Greg Smith Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Business and Trade), Opposition Whip (Commons) 9:30, 3 February 2025

The problem with the argument that the Minister is trying to construct is that every time a developer comes along with a proposal, and the community pushes back with “Why are you doing this?”, the answer—every single time—is “Because the Government are asking us to.” That is what frustrates communities and frustrates me every single time. If the Minister accepts that that is the developers’ excuse, he can either correct them and say, “No, the Government are not asking you to do this,” or find a way to challenge those presumptions and the cumulative impacts, which I am grateful that he says he wants to address.