Deep Tory splits have once again been exposed after the party’s former chairman joined a growing rebellion against the ban on onshore wind farms.
Jake Berry said he would be supporting former cabinet minister Simon Clarke’s bid to change Rishi Sunak’s policy on the issue.
Clarke has tabled an amendment to the levelling up and regeneration bill demanding the current moratorium on new onshore wind farm developments be lifted.
He has already secured the backing of former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, as well as Cop 26 president Alok Sharma.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph has reported that Michael Gove also believes that the current ban should be lifted.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Berry - who was sacked by Tory chairman by Sunak - said he was also backing the rebellion.
He said: “Boris Johnson famously used to call wind turbines the white satanic mills of the north of England when they were building them all over my constituency.
“He’s changed his mind on them, I to a large extent have changed my mind and I’m going to be supporting Simon Clarke and his amendment because I think if you want to know why we should have more renewables, just look at your gas or electricity bill.”
In a separate development, Sajid Javid today attacked Tory rebels who are fighting plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes across the country.
More than 50 Conservative backbenchers have backed another amendment to the levelling up bill which would end the need for local councils to take government housing targets into account when deciding on planning applications.
But Javid said “tearing down the existing planning system and failing to build anything credible to replace it would be a colossal failure of political leadership”.
Writing in the Sunday Times, he said: “I am dismayed to see that more than 50 have put their names to damaging amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
“These amendments would scrap mandatory targets and the presumption in favour of development, two crucial tools that we need in order to build more houses where people actually want to live.
“I have great respect for my colleagues, and they will no doubt have important reasons for supporting these proposals.
“But tearing down the existing planning system and failing to build anything credible to replace it would be a colossal failure of political leadership.”
