Conservatives will review pylon plan in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex if re-elected, says Rishi Sunak

  • ITV News Anglia's political correspondent Emma Hutchinson spoke to Rishi Sunak, who was campaigning in Sizewell, Suffolk - usually a Tory territory


Rishi Sunak has said he will review the 100-mile Norfolk to Essex pylon plans and consider suggestions for offshore connections if his party is re-elected.

The Conservative Party leader was at Sizewell in Suffolk on Wednesday, reconfirming his support for a new nuclear power station there, with just over two weeks to go until the General Election.

He was asked what he thought about the controversial plans for more than 100 miles of pylons across the countryside in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, which have attracted widespread opposition through the three counties.

He said: "I've spoken to lots of my parliamentary colleagues about the impact. I can understand people's concerns about the visual impact of the transmission infrastructure.

"Of course, we need energy to power our country, but we need to do that in a way that is sensible.

"A lot of analysis that these decisions are based on is out of date - it's quite old at this point.

"So if we are re-elected, we will review all of that and see what actually the best technology mix is. And there are alternative technologies, looking at what's possible offshore, but also whether things are better placed underground.

"So that's something I can commit to doing - review how we look all of this, because it hasn't been looked at for a very long time and I appreciate people's concerns about the visual impact."

Rishi Sunak and parliamentary candidate for Suffolk Coastal, Therese Coffey, at Sizewell in Suffolk Credit: PA

Energy company National Grid wants to create a 100-mile overground network to carry energy generated by offshore wind farms.

The proposal, known as East Anglia Green, has led to anger from a number of councils and local campaign groups.

Campaigners argue that a better option is an offshore network that brings in power from the various wind farms, rather than across the countryside. This power would then be connected to onshore substations.

Last year, a government report recommended that payments should be offered to people to quell local opposition to the scheme, with householders living near any pylons potentially receiving up to £1,000 off their electricity bills.

Latest polling from research company Survation suggests the Tories could lose all of their seats in Norfolk and Suffolk, and retain just a few in Essex.

Mr Sunak was also asked if he was confident hanging on to any seats in Suffolk.

He said: "I am confident. It's good to be here in Suffolk today, talking to people about the choice in this election.

"And this is on a day where inflation is back to target.

"When I became prime minister, it was 11%. It was a priority of mine to restore that economic stability and start cutting people's taxes - that's what we've done.

"And this election means we can build on that foundation."

The Office for National Statistics announced on Wednesday that inflation in the UK returned to 2% in May - for the first time since July 2021.


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