Clare Adams

Rower, foodie, musician & archaeologist. Hats, windy days, champagne & cucumber sandwiches - not necessarily at the same time.🇬🇧 in Bloom judge & gardener.

[Claire Coutinho @ClaireCoutinho]

The control room engineers at the NESO balance Britain’s electricity supply and demand.

If they don’t get it right, the lights go out and people die.

This is, in part, why I have been approached by multiple whistleblowers from within NESO who are concerned that it is getting harder to keep the lights on in Britain.

Few things can be more serious. As we saw in last year’s Iberian blackout, without electricity, people die.

The allegations made to me are threefold.

First, on 23 June, NESO failed to meet standards on constraints and reserves put in place to prevent blackouts.

Second, the Corporate Affairs team interfered with operational decisions, prioritising NESO's reputation over security of supply.

And third, operational decisions are being kept in ‘live documents’ with no audit trail, therefore preventing them from being accessed for Freedom of Information requests.

It is undeniable that the system is becoming harder to balance.

And yet, as of Monday, NESO launched an investigation into allegations of bad record-keeping and interference from their PR team, but it will not include whether control room operators think the system is being run securely.

I understand that at an all-staff meeting yesterday, Fintan Slye, NESO’s Chief Executive, said “my” allegations were false.

The problem is that these are not my allegations – they are the allegations of his own staff.

If this remark was indeed said, it would be an extraordinary prejudgment of the whistleblowers’ concerns and would potentially deter other people from coming forward.

Ed Miliband and his ministers, in a grotesque show of complacency, dismissed me as “scaremongering”.

Ofgem, the regulator responsible for monitoring NESO, are seemingly fine taking a backseat role.

As for NESO, their reaction has been to tell staff, who are so worried they have resorted to whistleblowing, that their concerns are false – rather than to seriously consider whether they have a problem.

And who will be to blame if it all goes wrong? I fear in the court of public opinion it will be the control room operators, who do an enormous and increasingly difficult service for our country.

That’s why I am fighting their corner now.

They deserve to be listened to and to have their worries addressed.

I can assure them I will not stop until that happens.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

Just saw @bbcnews lunchtime programme running posts from yesterday’s X as “news”.
Keep up!

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

This is a disgrace.

Labour’s lame duck Attorney General, Lord Hermer, is once again trying to force through his vindictive pet project: the Chagos Island surrender.

Hermer is the only person who wants this deal. Conservatives rejected it. The Americans have serious concerns about it. And the British people do not want it.

Conservative would use the money Labour put aside for the Chagos surrender to fund our defence.

You do not make Britain safer by giving away strategic assets and paying for the privilege.

Conservatives have stopped this deal before. We will stop it again.

We will not let Labour weaken Britain.

[Douglas Lumsden MP @DLumsden_MP]

Thank you, Aberdeen.

This result sends a clear message to Labour and the SNP: their war on North Sea oil and gas must end.

It’s an honour to be elected as your MP. I’ll fight every day for Aberdeen, our jobs and our energy industry.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@TomHulme79 I think at least one of their daughters went to my school and I remember them picking them up- they were always fun.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@TomTugendhat I’d question siting a major data centre next to core national infrastructure. Companies are moving away from vulnerable locations like airports, substations, fibre & reservoirs so from an Operational Resilience perspective, they’ll have to work very hard to de-risk hosting.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@PeterABedford @clarescastle Wow, the Ed Stone. I can’t see Net Zero Zealotry there - is it on the back?

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@claytonchambrs I love Niwaki gardening tools. The hori hori & hand adze are must haves and I rely on their tripod ladders for safe pruning at height. Quality and beautifully designed.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@RobertJenrick We know what Kemi said, it’s in the public domain. You’ve merely made yourself look silly at such a poorly aimed attempt at a take down.

[EHRC @EHRC]

Our draft Code of Practice helps providers of services, public functions and associations apply the Equality Act 2010. It doesn't apply to workplaces; employers should consult the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regs 1992, the Equality Act, and seek independent legal advice.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@SuellaBraverman Piffle. That’s not what she said and you know that fine well. People can get behind her response in that GMB interview because she spoke with care, empathy and kindness. Please stop being bitter in public, you’re better than that I hope.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@lukerobertblack Agreed. This is heartfelt.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@soniasodha Sadly my MP is on there. I’m not entirely sure what his purpose in parliament is other than to cheese off his constituents.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@JackHadders Deliberately taking sound bites out of context to serve your own political ideology isn’t journalism. Poor show.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@emmafildes I’ve been on a member day a few years ago & had a good day except no where to sit down. I won’t go back as it’s got too big & celeb-centric. Try the regional shows which are more intimate & Royal Windsor Flower Show on 6th June is a delight @RoyalWindsorRHS

[Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 @DefenceHQ]

It is with great sadness that we can confirm the death of Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan, who died on 15 May following a tragic incident at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@Essex_CC The flying of flags on public buildings is regulated by the Town & Country Planning regs 2007 & 2021. Not really anything to do with Reform national policy but more about compliance.

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@SisterWalburga Perhaps for Habit(at) sister?

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@EmmaBest22 Congratulations!

[Clare Adams @neutraldensity]

@JamesEsses @Hush64329919 Congratulations James. I look forward to following your progress.