The Shadow Minister for Business and Trade has slammed the decision by the Government to close down UK oil and gas production, claiming Labour is a Government "run by the unions".
Speaking to GB News, Harriet Baldwin expressed her disappointment with the move and called for a "rethink" by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I'm very disappointed that this Government has, for example, got rid of some of the new production of our oil and gas and I think there needs to be a rethink on this front," she said.
Baldwin also criticised the Government's handling of steel production issues in Scunthorpe.
Harriet Baldwin urged the Prime Minister to 'rethink' his plans for British Steel
GB News / PA
"This has been coming for a while and I think it's really shocking to see how slow the Government has been to address this issue," she told GB News.
She noted that local MP Martin Vickers had been raising the matter "urgently in the House of Commons for some time".
Baldwin emphasised the importance of maintaining blast furnaces and virgin steel production in the UK as "crucial" national infrastructure.
Baldwin highlighted the importance of energy prices, saying: "[Energy prices are] a really important issue and as you've seen under new leadership of the Conservative Party, we're addressing that and beginning to formulate the policies that will ensure that we do have those critical supplies."
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Saturday saw chaotic scenes at the steelworks as workers rallied against its closurePAShe suggested the current Government's approach to energy policy requires "significant reconsideration".
Baldwin criticised the tax burden placed on businesses by the current Government: "The costs that this Government has put on, for example, steel production, but also business right across this country.
"The fact that they've increased national insurance on everyone, they've increased business rates on this plant at Scunthorpe."
She accused the government of failing to support business interests: "It just shows that they're not backing business, that what we've got here is actually a Government by the unions, of the unions and for the unions."
Baldwin told GB News that Labour is a Government 'for the unions'
GB News
Baldwin specifically criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves for her economic approach.
"I think she has been part of the problem and the Halloween budget last October has not helped businesses or growth across the UK," she stated.
The Shadow Minister called for a reconsideration of recent tax increases: "It would be good to see her rethink some of those tax hikes, because I think they've actually stalled growth and reduced the tax revenues in this country."
Baldwin concluded her criticism by highlighting the timing of these tax increases.
"One of the things that we do need to see is growth and unfortunately, this Government's gone about it completely the wrong way," she said.
She described the current month as "awful April when these tax rises are hitting businesses across the country."
