Ed Miliband is off his rocker – and 10 minutes in Europe’s richest country proves it

We now face the biggest energy shock in history. Oil and gas prices are about to rocket as Iran strangles global supply. Shell’s chief executive warns fuel shortages could hit Europe in days as the crucial Strait of Hormuz tanker route remains blocked. The government is drawing up plans for petrol and diesel rationing. In July, the energy cap is expected to jump by £332 a year to £1,973. It’s likely to be a lot higher by winter. Britain could have some protection against this nightmare. Yet Ed Miliband refuses to take it. It’s one of the most self-destructive acts I’ve ever witnessed from a government minister.

Miliband continues to block new development in the North Sea, including the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields. He’s also maintaining the 78% windfall tax on producers, which further deters investment. That was damaging enough when oil traded around $60 a barrel. With it potentially heading towards $200, it’s insane. Yet he will not relent. He defends this policy by claiming energy prices are set globally, so producing more at home will not cut costs. Ignore him. That’s a dishonest sleight of hand.

If Miliband changed course, more home-produced North Sea gas could be flowing through our system within months. Every unit is used by British households and businesses instead of being imported. That strengthens our supply and energy security, and will boost the balance of payments too. Miliband never addresses those arguments.

He also avoids the wider damage. Blocking domestic oil and production threatens tens of thousands of well-paid jobs, strips the UK of expertise and deprives the Treasury of vital tax revenues. It also removes the chance to export surplus production. Instead, Britain is importing liquefied natural gas from as far afield as the US and Qatar. That brings higher emissions, more methane leakage and added transport costs. As oil prices rise, so do those shipping costs. This is outrageous economic self-harm but Miliband doesn’t care, as long as he can parade his virtue.

No other major economy is doing this. Britain is the last country that should, given our sky-high energy bills are already squeezing households and industry alike. A quick trip to Norway makes the contrast painfully clear. It would never block its own oil and gas production. Those resources have made it one of the richest countries in the world, with a high standard of living and strong public finances. In Europe, only minnow Luxembourg beats it.

Arriving in Oslo, the difference is obvious within seconds. The airport is clean, modern and well maintained. Staff are efficient and welcoming. The trains are solid, reliable and spotless, with smartly dressed staff. It feels like a country that invests in itself. That’s what oil and gas revenues can deliver.

Of course, Norway has a much smaller population and far bigger energy deposits. We’ll never be that wealthy. But the country’s enviable prosperity still shows the value of oil and gas, a fundamental truth that mad Ed Miliband denies.

Norway also faces higher energy prices, but has the money to support households and businesses. It helped citizens with bills last winter, even before the crisis, and will surely do so again. It is also investing in green energy, but from a position of strength.

Here’s the worst bit. You are helping fund that prosperity. Last year, Miliband signed off on another £20billion of Norwegian gas imports. Norway’s GDP per head is £75,000. Ours is a fraction of that at £40,000. And you’re sending THEM money. Don’t blame the Norwegians. Anybody else would do the same. Except us.

Thanks to current policy, that flow of funds will continue. Britain grows more dependent and more exposed by the day, while Norway is set to get even richer. That’s because it’s run by grown-up politicians, not ideological Muppets like Ed Miliband. He wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near Norwegian energy policy. They’d laugh him out of the country. At least he could admire the airport on his way out.