Direct experience in the chemical industry, where I trained and worked for nine years, sparked my passion for energy transition away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon alternatives.

Hydrogen is an opportunity to tackle climate change while supporting our economy. With hydrogen, we can reduce fossil fuel consumption while still protecting jobs, like those of my former colleagues in Teesside. The pandemic has made this even more important and provides the UK with an opportunity to create a new strategy for a green economic recovery. 

This sector is especially important in my constituency, Redcar and Cleveland, and in Teesside as a whole. Amazingly, Tees Valley and the North East produce 50 per cent of the UK’s hydrogen. The first trials for domestic heating run on hydrogen are happening right now in Teesside. We have real potential to expand and create lots of excellent jobs and it’s something I’m hugely keen to use my background and knowledge in the field to shape the views of other parliamentarians. 

That’s why I joined the Hydrogen APPG, of which I’ve been chair of since February 2020. I’m mindful of the impact that a well-run APPG can have, especially those that focus on a single, crucial policy area like hydrogen. There is clear merit in building cross-party consensus when possible – the Hydrogen APPG is a great example of this. It has 41 parliamentary members, …