A local election candidate running as a reformist and opposing Net Zero policies inaugurated a Coca-Cola solar facility and commended the company for "adopting sustainable energy" during her tenure as a Conservative Member of Parliament.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns shared images online via a now-removed tweet when she attended as the guest of honor for the opening of the 20-acre location close to Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
The former Tory The skills minister is running to become the mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. Nigel Farage 'Party, having switched sides after she lost her Morley and Outwood constituency in the election. general election .
Lady Andrea has also served as a director for the Net Zero Watch group of climate skeptics since 2023, and one of the key aspects of her campaign involves combating the 'destruction' of productive farmland through the installation of solar panels.
However, in 2017, when she was a Conservative backbencher, she inaugurated the Haigh Hall solar farm. This facility provides energy for Coca-Cola European Partners to run their biggest soft drinks factory in Europe.
In a press release issued by Coca-Cola, they lauded "a significant and worthwhile initiative situated near our doorstep" and expressed optimism that it would ' Inspire more companies to take such leadership roles in addressing critical societal issues.
Four years later, in April 2021, while still a backbencher, she praised an expansion of the same solar farm, with the Yorkshire Times reporting she stated: "Given the current environmental landscape, companies bear significant responsibility for facilitating a sustainable economic rebound."
In response to queries regarding her backing of the solar farm in 2017, Dame Andrea informed MailOnline that when speaking with Coca-Cola previously, she expressed disagreement with the project. However, within her capacity as an MP, she supported a significant local job provider.
She said: 'At the end of the day when you are an MP you get asked to open stuff, don't you?
'Do you suddenly say, when you have been working with Coca-Cola and they have been to my job fairs and they have been in my business club, do you say ''no I'm not'' - do you suddenly do that, when they are a major local employer and they ask you to do something to open them and support them as a business?'
She added that she had been unable to 'speak out' on the issue when she was a government whip between September 2021 and July 2022, but she later joined Net Zero Watch.
Plans are in motion that could see solar farms totalling more than 30,000 acres erected in Lincolnshire.
Weeks after entering Government, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband's department approved projects including the 2,000-acre Mallard Pass site near Stamford, and Gate Burton, near Gainsborough.
He revived the Solar Taskforce to assemble industry specialists and government officials, aiming to increase solar power capacity threefold by 2030.
"I see no issue with companies seeking more affordable energy, particularly since we already face some of the highest energy prices globally. However, when Miliband proposes installing 30,000 acres of solar farms on farmland in Lincolnshire, it simply doesn’t make sense," Dame Andrea commented.
Dame Andrea's Conservative opponent, Rob Waltham, who leads North Lincolnshire Council, has pledged to "combat vigorously to safeguard Lincolnshire’s green areas and farmland from solar farm developments."
Earlier this month, he stated: "Expansive solar farms should not be situated in our picturesque rural areas or agricultural lands."
However, despite his past opposition to solar farm developments in his local capacity, he has demonstrated broader environmental qualifications.
In 2023, as leader of the council, he said that its aim to be Net Zero by 2030 was 'embedded into the heart of everything we do'.
He explained that he began lowering the thermostat at his house and ceased purchasing plastic products, then went on to say: Our net-zero initiatives are sincere, bold, attainable, and synchronized with our company’s expansion, employment opportunities, and enhanced quality of life.
However, to create the impact we require, ensuring that coming generations inherit a healthier environment, everyone needs to contribute—specifically, we are urging individuals in North Lincolnshire to join in and commit to making changes.
'There are lots of little things people can do to get involved; while we can have a massive impact as a council, the impact will be super-charged if everyone gets involved.'
Earlier this month Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was time to 'get real' about reaching the UK's net zero target by 2050 during a speech to launch the party's policy renewal process in London.
Mrs Badenoch drew criticism from influential quarters within her own party, including former prime minister Theresa May, for suggesting the target was 'impossible' to meet.
She has tasked shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho, with help from shadow Scotland secretary and energy minister Andrew Bowie, to look at solutions for delivering cheap and clean energy.
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