As Labour leader I will challenge the myth that we need to choose between the economy and the environment
David Cameron with huskies in Norway as part of his bid to rebrand the Conservative party
David Cameron used to claim he’d lead the ‘greenest government ever’. Yet the way his government has behaved shows those were just hollow words. Or to paraphrase the prime minister – ‘green crap’.
Two days before the election, environment secretary Amber Rudd promised that the Conservatives would ‘continue to take action to protect the environment as part of our long-term economic plan for green jobs and growth’.
Just more pre-election hollow words from the people who reclassified child poverty to hide from their failures, cut the power on the Northern powerhouse and rebranded the minimum wage as a fake Living Wage.
The reality is thus: the government’s actions have damaged investor confidence in the UK energy market, will increase consumer bills and jack up the cost of decarbonisation.
That’s a disaster for our economy and for those of us who want to see serious global action on clean energy.
Today Amber Rudd is giving a speech in which she’ll confirm a further watering down of the Tories’ already inadequate commitments. Shutting down the Renewables Obligation a year earlier than planned – and cutting subsidies for onshore wind projects in the process – was only a popular move if you were asking the opinions of a vocal group of backbench Tory MPs.
If you were to seek opinions outside the 1922 Committee the response is strikingly different. Industry body Energy UK criticised the move, stating that the ‘announcement risks confidence in energy investment upon which a great deal of vital infrastructure investment depends’. The CBI argued the move was not only a blow to industry but could damage the UK’s reputation as a good place to invest in energy infrastructure.
Or to put it another way – if the government keep on undermining energy infrastructure, the lights might start to go off and bills will start to go up.
So onshore wind has taken a battering – but what about Solar? In May, Amber Rudd stated that she wanted to unleash a new solar revolution under this Parliament. Instead she’s threatened to cut industry support.
Responsibility? Consistency? I’m not sure Amber Rudd knows what they are.
So what do we do with an energy secretary intent on damaging investor confidence in the UK energy market, unfazed by abandoning those in fuel poverty? We send her to Paris in December to represent our nation in the most important international negotiations on climate change of our time.
We need an ambitious plan for the Paris climate change negotiations – but that plan needs to be matched by serious action at home as well. As Labour leader I will challenge George Osborne’s myth that we need to choose between the economy and the environment. Low carbon businesses were the biggest growth area during the recession, and the CBI estimates that the number of green jobs will increase to 1.4 million by 2020.
Where Cameron sees ‘green crap’ I see future jobs, investment and prosperity. The Tories have been relentlessly negative about clean energy and have failed to present a positive vision for what they want to see investment in – other than fracking.
We need to hold the government to account for its undermining of the renewables industry and unlock the potential to both cut carbon and create new jobs.
Cameron promised the greenest government ever. He hasn’t tried very hard.
At a time when we face the inter-connected global challenges of energy security, climate change and globalisation, Britain really does need the greenest government ever. Losing in May meant that Labour under Ed Miliband – a great climate change secretary – couldn’t be that government. For our country and for future generations, we need a Labour leader who can win and form a government that is truly committed to clean energy. There’s nothing ‘crap’ about that.
Liz Kendall is the shadow care minister and a candidate for Labour party leader. Follow her on Twitter
24 Responses to “Where Cameron sees ‘green crap’ I see future jobs, investment and prosperity”
JoeDM
And the climate scam continues …
Mike Stallard
Greenie?
That is exactly why the Labour Party was not elected. Windmills do not work when the wind doesn’t blow and they produce just a tiny fraction of our electricity at enormous cost. Solar panels do not work in UK – but they do work in the Sahara Desert. Can you possibly spot the difference? Tidal Flows are good, of course, but for the billions of pounds involved, why not depend on dear old king coal? Fracking? Good heavens no! The USA does that! And it causes great anger among the fairies at the bottom of the garden!
Oh – sorry, I forgot, you still believe (as Mr Cameron did fifteen years ago since when the world has not warmed at all) in AGW.
Meanwhile industry, which depends on electricity (steel industry? Aluminium industry?), flees to countries which have a lot more common sense as our European electricity prices soar. Oh – sorry, I forgot, that is all the fault of the greedy companies, nothing to do with me, guv.
Mike Stallard
I can see that you are not an industrialist!
stevep
There seems to be a lot of debate and arguing in Britain about what source of energy is best, gas, oil, coal, wind, waves, nuclear etc. – All driven by powerful lobbying interests. What is clear is that no one agrees with anyone else on the way forward. Just what suits their particular interests.
What is becoming even clearer is that a centralised energy policy is needed, to figure out what is best for Britain. All of us, that is. Not just the suits. Leaving this shambles in place is madness.
Labour needs to commit to nationalising the energy industry, to enable sensible discussion to take place and deliver the best possible plan for our future energy needs. it would be a vote winner.
Cole
Trust me, fracking is pretty unpopular in the US, especially near the immunities where it is happening.