'We should never have turned the taps off!' Labour's North Sea strategy torn apart by top Tory

"That welfare bill is ballooning, it's not fair on all those people who work hard and do the right thing," Mr Vickers stated.

"If you work in this country, you're paying more and more in tax. If you don't work, you're getting more and more in benefits," he said, calling for a thorough examination of public spending priorities.

Turning to energy policy, Mr Vickers condemned the Government's decision to halt North Sea oil and gas extraction, describing it as fundamentally counterproductive.

The shadow minister pointed out that Britain possesses abundant hydrocarbon reserves beneath its territorial waters, yet ministers have revoked drilling licences.

"The end result is that we're importing now oil and gas from abroad, that means higher emissions," he explained.

"It's worse for the environment. We're transporting all this stuff into the country."

Mr Vickers argued that this policy shift has directly contributed to elevated energy costs for consumers.

"It means that we are paying bigger prices. It's driving prices up. The lack of supply means that we pay more for it," he told the broadcaster.

The shadow minister warned that dependence on foreign energy supplies poses a significant threat to Britain's national security, specifically citing reliance on nations such as Iran.

"We're reliant on energy supplies from places like Iran," Mr Vickers said, adding that any disruption in those countries would immediately affect British consumers.

Mr Vickers drew a direct comparison between the Prime Minister's energy strategy and the tactics of environmental activists.

"It's basically Keir Starmer adopting Dale Vince's Just Stop Oil approach to energy and as a result we're more susceptible to these sort of shocks," he argued.

"We should have never turned the taps off on the North Sea."

Beyond the drilling controversy, Mr Vickers took aim at proposed increases to fuel duty, which has remained frozen for approximately 15 to 16 years.

He accused the Prime Minister and Chancellor of threatening to raise this tax at the worst possible moment for struggling households.

"It is the wrong time to increase fuel duty for families across the country and for businesses across the country who are already struggling to make ends meet," he declared.

The shadow minister highlighted that inflation figures released this morning showed the rate is expected to climb further, potentially reaching nearly double its target level.

"When the cost of living is up, when inflation is up," he said, questioning why the Government would consider adding to the financial burden facing ordinary people through higher taxes at the pump.