The cost of living crisis has seen soaring food, energy and fuel prices for families and businesses in the North East. Writing in today's Northern Echo, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the challenge of energy security has only become more urgent.

The Northern Echo:

WHILE everyone’s energy bills are soaring, energy security and resilience has a totally different meaning for many in the North East.

Twice in the last six months, thousands of homes have been plunged into darkness, as storms battered towns and left houses without power for weeks.

While most of the lights are back on, the challenge of energy security has only become more urgent.

The truth is that we’re uniquely exposed in this energy crisis because of a decade of Conservative dither and delay.

They failed to regulate the market properly, leaving nearly 30 companies going bust – something not seen in any other country.

They’ve stalled on insulating houses, and failed to deliver on energy storage – both of which have left us more exposed internationally.

We need to wean the UK off reliance on Russian oil but going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy. The Tories should have used the last decade to supercharge UK jobs in nuclear and renewables.

That failure has cost us all money- for example by banning onshore wind in 2015, we lost energy that could have taken up to £60 per bill in the years since.

Yesterday, I travelled by hydrogen bus to Gateshead, to visit a hydrogen house at Northern Gas Networks’ site, and hear about how 668 nearby homes are currently using 20% hydrogen blended into their gas supply.

Hydrogen has a crucial role to play in heating homes, powering industry and creating good jobs here in the North East and across the UK.

We need our domestic hydrogen industry to thrive and the government needs to be more ambitious with its targets and trials.

Labour knows that soaring energy bills right now, and the growing cost of living crisis need an answer.

That’s why we’ve proposed a one-off windfall tax on the booming profits of oil and gas producers this year, to cut household bills by up to £600.

Under Labour’s plan, in Gateshead alone, almost all households would get £200 off their bills in April, and 19,598 of hard-pressed homes would receive a full £600 off – almost entirely cancelling out the expected price rise.

We’ve also strongly opposed the government bringing in a National Insurance rise at the worst possible time – an unfair tax hike that will hit working people and businesses hard.

But we need more than short term relief.

With our Climate Investment Pledge we will insulate 19 million homes in a decade, cutting our gas imports by 15% and lowering your home energy bills by up to £400.

We’d increase onshore and offshore wind capacity, triple solar power by 2030, back tidal power and end the delay on nuclear power too.

Working with the GMB and other energy unions Labour will ensure that energy workers and their skills are part of the solution to creating a lower carbon with good, well-paid jobs.

Our plan to buy, make and sell more in Britain means a boost to our businesses who can make the parts and deliver the projects to make these ambitions a reality.

We face big challenges, but by looking at the innovation and ambition the North East does best, we can meet them head on and grow our economy.

As Chancellor under a Labour government, that will be my mission.