Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

EU Internal Electricity Market

Tuesday 2 June 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister discussed energy security and cooperation with EU counterparts at WindEurope conference in Madrid.
  • UK households are exposed to volatile global energy prices due to geopolitical instability.
  • Minister agrees closer links with Europe are important for energy security despite interconnections existing for decades.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Al Pinkerton Lib Dem Surrey Heath
Brexit Energy
Context

Discussions on energy security with EU counterparts are ongoing, and there is a need to address British households' exposure to volatile global energy prices.

Question

What recent discussions has the Minister had with his EU counterparts on the UK's participation in the EU's internal electricity market?

Answer from Michael Shanks

Co-operation with our EU counterparts is vitally important when it comes to energy security. I recently travelled to the WindEurope conference in Madrid, where I joined other European Ministers to discuss how recent global events have shown that we have to work together to deliver on our energy security. We have held constructive discussions with the EU on the internal electricity market and those continue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details of discussions or commitments regarding recoupling with the EU's electricity market.

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Q2 Al Pinkerton Lib Dem Surrey Heath
Energy
Context

Ofgem has announced a 13% rise in the energy price cap from July, highlighting households' vulnerability to volatile global energy prices.

Question

At a time of intense geopolitical instability, British households remain particularly exposed to volatile global energy prices. Given that there are interconnectors with six European countries already, does the Minister agree with esteemed energy economists that recoupling our electricity market with the EU would strengthen energy security and lower bills?

Answer from Michael Shanks

I agree with the hon. Member. We have this bizarre situation where we have interconnections with Europe for decades, and they are important to our energy security. In a moment of geopolitical uncertainty, closer links with Europe are important. Our interconnectors import and export every single day to the benefit of consumers in Britain. We want to see much more efficient energy trading, and that is why we are working on formal negotiations about the EU internal electricity market.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to recoupling with the EU's electricity market despite agreeing it could be beneficial.

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