The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Edward
Miliband) With permission, I would like to make a statement about
the Government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
This Government were elected two weeks ago. Since then, we have
lifted the onshore wind ban in England, which had been in place
since 2015; consented more than 1.3 GW of solar projects, powering
the equivalent of almost 400,000 homes; established the 2030
mission control centre in...Request free
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The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero ()
With permission, I would like to make a statement about the
Government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
This Government were elected two weeks ago. Since then, we have
lifted the onshore wind ban in England, which had been in place
since 2015; consented more than 1.3 GW of solar projects,
powering the equivalent of almost 400,000 homes; established the
2030 mission control centre in my Department under Chris Stark to
plan and deliver our mission; and established under the
Chancellor a national wealth fund to create good clean energy
jobs across our country. We are just getting started.
We are moving at this pace for one overriding reason: the urgency
of the challenges we face. We have the challenge of our energy
insecurity, laid bare by Putin's invasion of Ukraine and paid for
by the British people in the worst cost of living crisis in
generations. We have the challenge of an economy that does not
work for working people, with too few good jobs at decent wages.
We have the challenge of the climate crisis—not a future threat,
but a present reality. This Government have a driving philosophy:
homegrown clean energy can help us tackle all those challenges,
including crucially energy security. Today the Climate Change
Committee publishes its progress report to Parliament. I thank
the interim chair Piers Forster and the interim chief executive
James Richardson for their excellent work.
The Committee says in its report:
“British-based renewable energy is the cheapest and fastest way
to reduce vulnerability to volatile global fossil fuel markets.
The faster we get off fossil fuels, the more secure we
become.”
It is right. That is why making Britain a clean energy superpower
is one of the five missions of this Government, delivering clean
power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero across the
economy.
Today, the committee's report also lays bare the truth about the
last Government. Despite achievements, which I am happy to
acknowledge, the report is coruscating about the lurch of recent
years. It says that
“last year…the previous Government signalled a slowing of pace
and reversed or delayed key policies.”
It goes on:
“the…announcements were given with the justification that they
will make the transition more affordable for people, but with no
evidence backing this claim.”
It concludes that
“the country is not on track”
to hit our 2030 international target of 68% emissions reductions.
Indeed, it says:
“Our assessment is that only a third of the emissions reductions
required...are currently covered by credible plans.”
That is our inheritance for a target to be achieved in just five
years.
I will respond formally to the committee in the autumn and, as
part of that, I have asked my Department to provide me with a
thorough analysis of its findings, but I can tell the House today
that we will hold fast to our 2030 clean power mission and our
nationally determined contribution, because it is the right thing
to do for our country.
Today, I set out our next steps. First, onshore wind is one of
the cheapest sources of power that we have. To those in the House
who claimed they were protecting communities with the onshore
wind ban, let us be clear: they have undermined our energy
security and set back the fight against the climate crisis. That
is why in the first 72 hours of this Government we lifted the
ban, which today I confirm formally to the House. Under the
onshore wind ban, the pipeline of projects in England shrank by
90%.
Over a year ago, the last Government's net zero tsar , whom I pay tribute to, made
a recommendation of an onshore wind taskforce to drive forward
projects. The last Government ignored it; we will implement it.
The taskforce will work with developers to rebuild the pipeline
of projects.
Secondly, solar power is among the cheapest forms of power that
we have. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and I are
determined that we have a rooftop revolution. We must use the
rooftops of our country for solar far better than we do at the
moment. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister and I are clear
that rooftop solar should play an important role, where
appropriate, as part of the future standards for homes and
buildings. The solar road map—we have been waiting for it for 18
months—will be published soon, with greater ambition. I have
reconvened the solar taskforce to deliver that objective.
As we face up to the challenge of the energy transition, we must
also plan for how we use land in this country to ensure a proper
balance between food security, nature preservation and clean
energy. After dither and delay under the previous Government, the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary will publish a land
use framework working in tandem with our spatial energy plan.
I also assure the House that communities will continue to have a
say on any proposals in their area. It is important for this
Government that where communities host clean energy
infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. But we will
not carry on with a position where the clean energy we need does
not get built and the British people pay the price.
Credible external estimates suggest that ground-mounted solar
used just 0.1% of our land in 2022. The biggest threat to nature
and food security and to our rural communities is not solar
panels or onshore wind; it is the climate crisis, which threatens
our best farmland, food production and the livelihoods of
farmers. The Government will proceed not on the basis of myth and
false information, but on evidence. Every time, the previous
Government ducked, delayed and denied the difficult decisions
needed for clean energy, that made us less secure, raised bills
and undermined climate action. No more.
Thirdly, offshore wind will be the backbone of our clean energy
mission. Allocation round 5, overseen by the last Government, was
a catastrophe for the industry, with no offshore wind contracts
awarded. The upcoming round is a critical test. We will get this
crucial industry back on its feet. By the beginning of August, I
will report back on the budget for AR6 to ensure that as much
clean, home-grown energy as possible gets built while ensuring
value for money.
Our fourth step is the Great British Energy Bill announced in the
Gracious Speech. I am extremely proud that this is the first Bill
for decades that will enable us to establish a UK-wide publicly
owned energy generation company. The truth is that there is
already widespread public ownership of energy in Britain, but by
foreign Governments. We have offshore wind farms in the UK owned
by the Governments of Denmark, France, Norway and Sweden through
state-owned companies. Those Governments know that a publicly
owned national champion is part of a modern industrial strategy
and generates a return for taxpayers, crowding in, not crowding
out, private investment. For too long, Britain has opted out and
lost out. Today, we say: no more.
Great British Energy, headquartered in Scotland, will invest in
home-grown clean energy to increase our energy independence,
create good jobs with strong trade unions and tackle the climate
crisis. It will invest in technologies such as nuclear, offshore
wind, tidal, hydrogen and carbon capture, and ensure a just
transition for our oil and gas communities. GB Energy will also
oversee the biggest expansion of community energy in British
history through our local power plan. The Government believe in
the ownership of British assets by the British people, for the
benefit of the British people. Following the people's verdict at
the general election, I hope that this is a patriotic mission
that the whole House can get behind.
I have seen 19 years of debates on climate and energy in this
House. The clean energy transition represents the biggest
transformation of our economy for 200 years, and it is massively
challenging. We have been at our best as a country, and as a
House, when we have worked together for the sake of the national
interest. I pay tribute to people of all parties who have been
champions of this agenda over the past 14 years: , who legislated for net zero;
the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (), who oversaw the growth of offshore wind; ; and on the Labour Benches,
my friend .
One of my early decisions was to re-establish the role of the
Secretary of State as the lead climate negotiator in my
Department, because we can only protect future generations with
strong action at home and leadership abroad. Next week in London
I will host the President of this year's COP29 in Azerbaijan. He
will be joined by the Presidents of COP28 and COP30. I have
invited the President of COP 26, , who presided with such
distinction, to join our discussions. This is a sign of how I
intend to go on—working with people of all parties and none in
this national endeavour. That is what the British people have a
right to expect of us. As the Prime Minister rightly says,
“Country first, party second.” That is more true on this issue
than any other. This Government will act at pace and work with
anyone who shares our mission. I commend this statement to the
House.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
11.46am
(East Surrey) (Con)
I would like to put on the record my disappointment not to get
the statement in good time. I know that the right hon. Gentleman
will want to provide us with the same courtesy that we tried to
provide him when we were in government. That being said, I
congratulate him on his return to government. I was sad not to
see more of him during the election campaign, particularly
because our ability to secure enough cheap energy will be crucial
to this nation's success in the decades ahead. I would also like
to put on record my thanks to the officials he will now work
with.
I wish the right hon. Gentleman well in his endeavour, but energy
will be this Government's big test. They talk a good game on
growth, but the Secretary of State's energy policy is their
greatest liability. In government, we built more offshore wind
than any other country bar China. We set out the largest
expansion of nuclear power in 70 years. We said that, yes, we
will need oil and gas in the decades ahead, as the Climate Change
Committee has said, and we should use British oil and gas where
needed. We are in a global race for energy, and demand will be
higher in the years ahead because of data and artificial
intelligence.
If the right hon. Gentleman's plans to decarbonise the grid by
2030 are in place, we need to know what they will do to people's
energy bills, our energy security and our reliance on the current
dominant player for cables, batteries and critical
minerals—China. He is happy to quote the Climate Change
Committee, but it also acknowledged that we will need oil and gas
well into 2050. He must answer: where would he like that to come
from?
When it comes to quotes, he should consider some from the
business world who have commented on his policy, such as the
chief executive of Mitsubishi Power, who said that his plans
would require a “huge sacrifice” by the country, citing the costs
of the Secretary of State's approach. The chief executive of
Ineos said that his approach to energy was “absurd”, leaving us
dependent on imports of foreign fuels with higher emissions and
doing nothing for the climate. Even the GMB said that his plans
were “unviable” and would lead to power cuts, blackouts and
enormous cost. Unite has said that the Government's plans for the
North sea would turn oil and gas workers into the coalminers of
their generation.
The right hon. Gentleman must answer why he would like to import
gas with much higher emissions. How many jobs will be lost from
his plans? How much investment into the new technologies of the
future, such as hydrogen, carbon capture and offshore wind, will
be lost? Will he meet those workers and explain to them what will
happen to their livelihoods?
During the election, the right hon. Gentleman claimed that he
would lower bills and save families £300. However, those numbers
are already in the savings, and no one on his side can set out
the cost of his plans to decarbonise the grid by 2030. Who will
pay for those network costs? What will they do to people's
standing charges, which were already too high?
The right hon. Gentleman also, I think, commented on having a say
in terms of communities. The energy infrastructure he will need,
and the fact that he wants to go further and faster, will have a
huge impact on rural communities. Their concerns must be
addressed. As I set out, the plans for our energy cannot come at
the expense of our food or national security.
In his statement, the right hon. Gentleman accused me of dither,
but as he will know from his officials, in at least one of the
cases he has signed off I had already instructed some time ago
that I was minded to reject it, and that paperwork was being
prepared. He must set out urgently what his criteria will be. In
one case, he overturned an expert examining authority. In another
case, he signed off a solar farm which will be 40% on our best
and most versatile agricultural land. Did he know that was the
case? If so, what was his basis for finding that acceptable? Will
he continue our efforts to build more solar on rooftops? I think
he mentioned that he would reconvene the solar taskforce. I hate
to tell him, but it had never been disbanded and we were due to
publish that work. So, I would like to know what date he will be
able to publish that work.
In conclusion, the Secretary of State's party won the election
and promised change, but he was not on show during that campaign
to answer these critical questions of how he was going to provide
that change and what it will mean for the country. What will his
plans mean for the price of electricity? What will they mean for
our ability to keep the lights on? What will they mean for
struggling families' bills, for our economy, and for the
livelihoods of oil and gas workers? What will they mean for our
reliance on China? For all that the Labour Government talk about
growth, they will not be able to deliver on that with the
Secretary of State's plans for energy. I hope that in the months
ahead he will set out some of that detail to be examined.
May I start by congratulating the right hon. Lady on her recent
engagement? I wish her and her fiancé all the best for the
future. We may disagree on some issues, but I believe this
Government and the right hon. Lady can at least share a belief in
long honeymoons. [Laughter.]
On the right hon. Lady's response, I have to say that I was
disappointed. The lines were very, very familiar. That is because
they were the lines she has used for the last year. And here she
comes today to the House and repeats the lines as if the
intervening meteorite has not hit the Conservative party: the
worst election result in 200 years for her party. The truth, as
sensible Conservatives know, is that the lurch she worked on a
year ago with the former Prime Minister, the Leader of the
Opposition, the right hon. Member for Richmond and Northallerton
(), was an electoral disaster
for the Conservative party—the lurch away from climate action.
What we saw in her statement is the classic dilemma for the
Conservative party, which we will see played out, I hope, for
many long years of Opposition. The dilemma is do they go the
Reform route to be climate deniers, or do they actually
re-embrace climate—[Interruption.]
Mr Speaker
Order. Can I just say that I do not need any advice? I will
decide whether it is a question. It is an answer, actually.
On the points the right hon. Lady made, there is a fundamental
issue, which is that unless we drive for clean energy—this is
what the Climate Change Committee said; I strongly recommend that
right hon. and hon. Members read it—we will end up energy
insecure. We had the worst cost of living crisis in generations
because of our exposure to fossil fuels, both domestically and
internationally, set and sold on the world market. Unless we
drive for clean energy, we will end up paying more for energy.
The House would not know that from what she said about our 2030
target. She had a target when she was in government of 95% clean
power by 2030. Of course, targets did not matter for the previous
Government, because they were always miles away from reaching
them.
As for the North sea, we set out our manifesto position, which is
not to issue licences to explore new fields but to keep existing
fields for their lifetime. Here is the truth of the conversation
that we must have. The fate of North sea oil and gas communities
is defined by these questions. Do we drive forward the clean
energy of the future? Have we a plan for carbon capture and
storage? Have we a plan for hydrogen? Have we a plan for offshore
wind? The Conservatives had no such plans, so we will take no
lectures on just transitions from them.
The right hon. Lady had other lines that were a rehearsal of the
election. Let me say this to her, on the solar question. She
referred to one particular planning decision, and I do think she
has a degree of brass neck. She criticised me for overturning the
planning authority. I am in a quasi-judicial role, so I will be
careful about what I say, but she had this in her Department for
a year. She could have agreed with the planning authority and
rejected the application, but she chose not to do so. That is the
reality.
In my experience, when you lose a general election a period of
reflection is in order, and I say to Conservative Members that
they need to reflect long and hard on the signals that they sent
in this election. Their climate lurch was a disaster—a disaster
for them electorally, but, much more important to me, a disaster
for the country. Under this Government, Britain is back, open for
business and climate leadership.
(Sefton Central) (Lab)
It is great to see you back in the Chair, Mr Speaker. It is also
great to see the Secretary of State at the Dispatch Box on this
side of the House again. I welcome what he said about the jobs,
lower bills, energy security and climate action that lie at the
heart of this Government's plans. That is very true in respect of
the Liverpool city region, where offshore wind—as he said—will
play an important and increasing role in our energy future, along
with onshore wind, solar power, hydrogen, carbon capture and
nuclear energy. However, we also have exciting plans for tidal
energy in the region, and I hope he can confirm that it will form
a part of what he wants to achieve through the plans that he has
announced.
My hon. Friend has long been an eloquent advocate for the role
that business can play in generating the clean energy of our
future and generating prosperity. I can absolutely confirm that
we want to embrace the widest range of technologies. Obviously we
must ensure that that gives value for money, but what I always
say on these occasions is that the climate crisis and the energy
security challenge are so big for us as a country that we must
embrace every form of technology at our disposal, because that is
the only way in which we will succeed.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. May I just gently say that these exchanges must finish at
1 pm? I hope we can help each other along the way, but first I
call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
(Bath) (LD)
I welcome the new Secretary of State to his place. I share his
passion for climate action. Let me add, however, that next time
he makes a statement we will need our copies in better time than
was the case today.
There is no doubt that the best route to affordable energy is
renewables, but under the former Government renewable projects
faced long delays and costs have skyrocketed. Indeed, that
Government's record on renewables was absolutely miserable. Our
electricity demand is expected to double by 2050, and we must
make upgrading our grid infrastructure a major priority. The
Government will know that one of the biggest challenges will be
to bring communities behind hosting the big infrastructure
changes needed for the grid expansion, and to cope with the huge
landscape transformation. How will they secure public
consent?
As the Secretary of State said, to achieve our legally binding
targets we also need a “rooftop solar revolution”, which will
include introducing stronger incentives for households to install
solar panels and ensuring a fair price for energy that they sell
back to the grid. Will the Government work on those incentives
with the Liberal Democrats?
We Liberal Democrats acknowledge the new approach taken by this
new Government, and I look forward to working constructively with
the Secretary of State to achieve our very ambitious targets.
May I welcome you to the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker?
I welcome the hon. Lady's questions; we worked together on these
issues when we were in opposition. Let me deal with her two
substantive points. On the question of public consent, this is
absolutely something that we need to do, and I see it in three
ways. First, communities need a say. Secondly, communities need
benefit. Communities are providing a service to the country when
they host clean energy infrastructure, so there needs to be
benefit for those communities. Thirdly, this is a debate that we
will have to have, and I am afraid the last Government did not
grasp the nettle on this issue.
We are going through a massive change in our economy. If we do
not build the grid or roll out solar, we will be poorer as a
country and we will absolutely expose ourselves to future cost of
living crises. I look forward to receiving as much support as
possible from the Liberal Democrats, and indeed from all Members
of this House, in making the case to people. We have to go out
and make the case, as I think happened in the 1950s when we will
built the grid. If we do not make the case, we will leave
ourselves exposed as a country, and it is the British people who
will pay the price. I completely concur with the hon. Lady on
rooftop solar.
Mr (Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
I welcome my right hon. Friend back to his position on the Front
Bench, and I particularly welcome his reference to hydrogen. I
know he has been to visit ITM Power in my constituency. When will
an announcement be made about the chosen two technologies to
pursue with small modular reactors? Will he give an assurance
that whichever firms are picked, they will have to ensure that a
very high percentage of the SMRs are built in this country by UK
firms, such as Sheffield Forgemasters in my constituency? That
will create well-paid jobs as well as clean energy.
I definitely concur with what my hon. Friend says about ITM
Power—an incredibly impressive company that I have visited. I
also concur with him on the SMR programme. Our manifesto made it
clear that we support new nuclear, including at Sizewell, and we
also support the SMR programme. Part of our challenge is to
examine the legacy left to us by the last Government, but he
should be in no doubt about my absolute support for the SMR
programme. It is important, and we will strive to keep to the
timetable set out.
Dame (West Worcestershire)
(Con)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his role, but he has been
quite political in his replies. I gently point out that in West
Worcestershire, fewer people voted Labour in this election than
in the last election or the one before. I wonder whether he has
ever visited the beautiful landscapes of West Worcestershire. The
Malvern hills and Bredon hill are some of the most treasured
landscapes in our land. What parameters is he going to put around
the building of pylons, wind farms and solar farms across that
beautiful landscape?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. As with any planning
decisions, there are clear parameters in the legislation on the
consultation that needs to take place with local communities. I
gently point out to her that, nine years ago, the last Government
banned onshore wind in England for some of the reasons that she
set out. I thought that was a mistake at the time, and it turned
out to be even more of a mistake than I thought, because it
exposed us to energy insecurity. We have to make judgments as
Members of this House. Given the scale of the climate crisis, the
energy insecurity and the energy security threat that we face, do
we believe that we need to build infrastructure? I happen to
believe that we do—yes, with community consent; yes, with
community benefit; and yes, with the planning rules that I have
set out.
(Inverclyde and
Renfrewshire West) (Lab)
I congratulate the Secretary of State on his new position. He was
lucky enough to visit my constituency during the election
campaign and to visit the port of Greenock, where he saw the
great potential that exists for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West
to contribute to the Government's clean energy mission. What
plans does he have to ensure that every part of the country,
including in Scotland, can make a contribution? What message does
he have for my constituents who are looking to the Government to
make an investment in our ports and our marine assets?
My hon. Friend is an incredibly eloquent advocate for his port,
which I was delighted to visit during the election campaign. He
makes such an important point: for an island nation looking to
take advantage—in terms of jobs as well as generation—of the
opportunities of offshore wind, including floating offshore wind,
our ports are a massively undervalued and under-invested asset.
That is why in our manifesto we set out the largest public
investment in ports since privatisation. My hon. Friend is
absolutely right to say that it must involve the whole of our
United Kingdom. Scotland has a special place in that, as it will
become the new headquarters of GB Energy.
Dr (Bexhill and Battle)
(Con)
In the last Parliament, I was lucky enough to be the co-chair of
the all-party parliamentary group on deep geothermal. I felt that
we made good progress in convincing the Government of its merits
in helping the climate change transition. Will the new Secretary
of State commit to a meeting with the REA—the Association for
Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, which acts as the
secretariat for the APPG—and me to see what more we can do to
convince the new Government of the role that deep geothermal can
play?
In the spirit that I spoke about in my statement, may I
congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his work on deep geothermal?
It was an outstanding example of how Members of Parliament can
advance the role that particular technologies can play. He is a
most eloquent advocate for this technology. Among the many places
I went during the election campaign, I had the chance to see deep
geothermal in Cornwall, which also has the potential for lithium
mining: it is a source of critical minerals. Between me and the
new Minister for energy—the Under-Secretary of State for Energy
Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen
(), who is going to be a very
busy man—we will make sure that we meet the hon. Gentleman and
his colleagues to take forward this agenda.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame )
In line with the Cornwall thread, I call .
(Truro and Falmouth)
(Lab/Co-op)
Cornish ports such as Falmouth, which the Secretary of State
visited during the campaign, have well-advanced plans to
reconfigure to service floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea.
Cornish further education providers are keen to gear up to
provide specialised courses to support the speedy growth of that
industry so that young people in Cornwall have the opportunity to
train for those high-skilled jobs of the future, but in the past
they have struggled because of a lack of Government support. Will
the Secretary of State please confirm that support will be
available to ports, businesses and educational establishments in
Cornwall, to enable them to plug into the vast opportunities
opened up by floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea?
I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election. May I say that she
is a great person to go out on a boat with and that I very much
enjoyed our tour?
My hon. Friend makes such an important point about the Celtic sea
and about the opportunity that we have. One of the decisions on
my desk will be how we make sure that we advance floating wind
technology and that we manufacture it in the UK. As Tim Pick, the
offshore wind champion, often reminds me, the largest floating
wind prototype is off the coast of Scotland, but it is not
manufactured in the UK. We need to change that.
Madam Deputy Speaker
I call .
(Ynys Môn) (PC)
Diolch, Dirprwy Lefarydd—thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The
Labour manifesto stated that building new nuclear power and small
modular reactors will be important in developing new clean power,
yet in the King's Speech yesterday there was not a single mention
of nuclear power. Can the Secretary of State assure me that
developing new nuclear power is still a priority of this
Government? What are the specific plans for the Wylfa and
Trawsfynydd sites in Wales?
I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. Great British Energy will
of course have a strong interest in nuclear power, working with
Great British Nuclear. It is very important for the future. This
Government were very clear in our manifesto about the role that
nuclear power—both large-scale nuclear and SMRs—can play. I know
that the last Government purchased the site for Wylfa, and it is
something that we will certainly be looking at.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
I welcome my right hon. Friend to his place and congratulate him
on his ambition. BioYorkshire is a project—a green new deal—to
create 4,000 green-collar jobs and upskill 25,000 workers. It
will also create hundreds of spin-offs and new start-up companies
focused on chemicals, agriculture and a new generation of fuels.
Will he ensure that his Department has early engagement with this
green new deal for York and North Yorkshire? Will he ensure that
that is part of his energy superpower for the future?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing this project to my
attention. In a way, the questions from both sides of the House
demonstrate the huge potential we have in this area, not just to
tackle the climate crisis and energy insecurity but to create the
good jobs of the future. I undertake that the Department will
want to look closely at her project.
Dr (South West Wiltshire)
(Con)
What assessment has the new Secretary of State made of the
proposal to build an interconnector between Morocco and the UK to
bring clean solar and wind energy that could potentially provide
8% of the UK's grid requirements?
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. I certainly
took an interest in the project when I was in opposition. I have
met Xlinks, the company involved. I need to be careful about what
I say on these matters, as he will appreciate, but it is
certainly a project that my Department will want to consider.
(Manchester Rusholme) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. He has already
shown more ambition and leadership on transitioning away from
dirty energy in his 14 days in government than the Tories showed
in 14 years. Does he agree that by making the UK a clean energy
superpower, we will be able to tackle air pollution, which kills
more than 100 people a year in Manchester alone?
That is the kind of question I like. My hon. Friend makes a
serious and important point about air pollution, which is another
reason why we need to move away from fossil fuels. In a sense,
the tragedy of air pollution is that it is a silent killer. Tens
of thousands of people a year die prematurely in our country as a
result of air pollution. People would be out on the streets if it
were any other issue but, because it is a silent killer, it is
too little noticed. He is absolutely right that this is yet
another reason why it is important that we act with speed and
transition as fast as possible.
(North West Hampshire) (Con)
I am conscious that we do not have a register of interests at the
moment so, for the Secretary of State's own protection, it might
be helpful if he could tell the House whether he accepted any
donations or otherwise during the election campaign that might be
declarable.
I want to press the Secretary of State further on protecting the
landscape. Eighty per cent of my constituency is in an area of
outstanding natural beauty, now rebranded as a national
landscape. Can he reassure me that, in their planning decisions,
he and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government will respect the notion of protected landscapes? There
is a series of solar farm applications in my constituency, some
of which are either in or impinge on the area of outstanding
natural beauty. The landscape is protected for a reason, and it
is important that the Government respect those protections in
planning law. I hope he can confirm that that will be the
case.
On the right hon. Gentleman's first question, I am proud to have
been supported by the GMB and the Union of Shop, Distributive and
Allied Workers during the election campaign. I think the sums are
below the declarable limit, but I am very happy to put that on
the record.
As a constituency MP, I understand local people's concerns about
planning issues, and we have to take those concerns seriously. We
know that not all planning applications are good, and that is the
Government's position. At the same time, particularly in the
light of what the National Infrastructure Commission has said, it
is widely recognised that how the planning process works has
delayed the clean energy we need and has made us poorer as a
country. This Government are determined to change that.
(Alloa and Grangemouth)
(Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for the constructive manner in
which he and the Government have approached the vital issue of
the Grangemouth refinery, which is crucial to life in my
constituency. Can he confirm that the UK Government will be
tenacious and resolute in seeking an industrial future for the
Grangemouth site? Will he agree to meet me to discuss potential
options for its future?
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for being such an eloquent
advocate for Grangemouth so early in his time as a Member of
Parliament. His counsel, advice and work on this subject have
been very important. I have had three conversations with my
counterpart in the Scottish Government over the last two weeks,
which is a sign of how we intend to continue. We will work across
parties and across Government to do all we can. The future of
Grangemouth really matters to this Government, and we will leave
no stone unturned in working with the unions, the companies and
the Scottish Government to do everything we can to secure a
viable future for activity on the site and for the communities of
Grangemouth.
(Perth and Kinross-shire)
(SNP)
After the King's Speech and this statement, we still do not have
a clue about what GB Energy will look like. The Government cannot
even tell us where it will be placed, other than within the
30,000 square miles of Scotland. Greg Jackson, the boss of
Octopus Energy, has said that if we reformed this absurd energy
market through some form of regional pricing structure, everybody
in the UK would have cheaper bills and Scotland would have the
cheapest energy in Europe. Will the Secretary of State look at
that and ensure that he delivers that prospect for everyone in
these isles?
I am slightly disappointed but not surprised by the hon.
Gentleman's tone. I would have thought that the Scottish National
party would welcome a publicly owned energy generation company
located in Scotland—my counterpart in the Scottish Government
certainly welcomed it. Let us be absolutely clear that it will be
a generator of energy. That is what companies such as Ørsted and
Statkraft do. They own power in this country, and we will do the
same. These are complex questions, and we definitely need
fairness across the United Kingdom when it comes to energy
prices. That is what this Government endeavour to deliver.
(Nottingham East) (Lab)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his appointment and
welcome him back to government.
My constituents, and indeed all our constituents, have suffered
the worst cost of living crisis in generations, thanks to the
Conservative party being in thrall to fossil fuel interests and
failing to invest in renewables. Does the Secretary of State
agree that we need a publicly owned domestic energy champion that
can speed up our transition to green energy, reduce our reliance
on volatile international gas markets and cut household bills at
the same time?
My hon. Friend has been an incredibly eloquent advocate on these
issues, including in the last Parliament. This is an important
point for all parties in the House to reckon with. The energy
insecurity case for action on clean energy is totally transformed
from when I was Energy Secretary 15 years ago. Why? Partly
because Russia's invasion of Ukraine reminds us of what exposure
can look like, but it is also because we have seen a 90% fall in
the cost of solar and a 70% fall in the cost of offshore wind
over the last decade. The old argument that this energy will save
us money in the long term but might cost more in the short term
has changed. This is the cheapest, cleanest form of energy we can
access.
(West Suffolk) (Con)
There were 1,360 submissions from interested parties against the
Sunnica application in West Suffolk, and the technical report
recommending against the application is 339 pages long. Has the
Secretary of State visited the Sunnica site? How many hours did
it take him to read all the submissions and evidence to make his
own detailed technical and legal judgment to overrule them.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a super-nerd. I take all of
my responsibilities, particularly my quasi-judicial
responsibilities, incredibly seriously, and I did in all the
judgments I made.
(Hitchin) (Lab)
My hon. Friends will find it nice referring to my right hon.
Friend as the Secretary of State, and I thank him for his
statement. His actions over the last few weeks underline the
damaging inaction of the past 14 years. The CCC report out today
confirms the true extent of the Tories' climate denialism and the
way in which it has undermined our ability to deliver on so many
important aspects of this agenda.
Does the Secretary of State agree that no less damaging than
climate denialism is the climate delivery denialism to which
Members in certain parts of this House are now starting to fall
back? Can he confirm that this Government will not shy away from
some of the tough choices that will have to be made to deliver
not only the climate agenda that voters have supported but the
energy security we desperately need?
I thank my hon. Friend for his important question. He draws
attention to a fact in the Climate Change Committee report that
is worth underlining: we have an internationally set, nationally
determined contribution of 68% reductions by 2030 compared to
1990 levels. However, the Climate Change Committee said this
morning that only a third of the emissions reductions required
are covered by credible plans—that is the legacy we have been
left. I am determined that we meet those targets, which is why we
have to speed up and act in a way that the last Government did
not.
My hon. Friend is right about clean energy. As I said earlier,
this is a debate that this country will have to have. We can say
no to clean energy and to building grids, but that will leave us
poorer and more exposed, and mean that we are not doing what is
required to tackle the climate crisis. This Government have made
their choice; others will have to do so too.
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his post. I welcome the tone
of his statement and I share its ambition. Will he join me in
commending the ambitious work of Lib Dem-led Oxfordshire county
council, which wants to reach net zero by 2030, and the work of
all councils everywhere? They are on the frontline of the climate
crisis in our communities. He talks about local people having a
say. Does he agree that often the best way for local communities
to feel they have that say is through their local councils?
Characteristically, the hon. Lady makes an important point. To
deliver this agenda, we have to get the central-local
relationship right, because if we try to deliver it all from the
centre we will not succeed. To take the example of improving the
appalling state of energy efficiency in our homes, much of that
work will have to be delivered by local authorities. That is the
right way to do it, and I pay tribute to all the local
authorities across the country that are showing ambition in that
area.
(Cities of London and
Westminster) (Lab/Co-op)
I congratulate the Secretary of State on his appointment. The
Cities of London and Westminster have a huge contribution to make
for the UK to be a clean energy superpower, not just through
investment driven from the City of London and innovation driven
by businesses across the constituency, but through our
residential community energy schemes, such as Aldgate Solar
Power, which is a fantastic local co-operative. However, after
years of dither and delay by the Conservative Government and the
former Conservative council, the Pimlico district heating
undertaking is in desperate need of investment. Will the
Secretary of State meet me to discuss how we can make it an
exemplar scheme and mitigate the cost for local residents and
leaseholders, who may be facing significant costs because of the
nature and construction of the heating equipment?
I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election. I have worked with
her in the past and I know she will be an outstanding Member of
Parliament. The Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and
Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen, is going to
be very busy, but I am sure he will happily meet her to discuss
her question. She raises community energy schemes.
I want to emphasise that one thing Great British Energy will
deliver is our local power plan, which will work with local
communities and local authorities to deliver community energy.
One of the answers to the question of how we build public consent
for this is community ownership of energy. We want to drive that
forward, and that is what the local power plan will be about.
Sir (Stone, Great Wyrley and
Penkridge) (Con)
I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his appointment. The
decisions that the Government have made will see a much more
rapid decommissioning of oil and gas in the North sea. How much
additional money has he secured from the Treasury to cover the
Government's legal costs for that decommissioning, and how much
does he think it will cost in total?
The most important thing is to secure a just transition for those
communities, as set out in our manifesto, through £8.3 billion
from Great British Energy and over £7 billion from our national
wealth fund. The truth is that there is massive debate in the
House about licensing. The right hon. Gentleman will not have
been at the debate when we discussed these issues, but the
difference it makes to how much of our gas demand is produced
domestically is that under the old Government—[Interruption.] Let
me explain. Under the old Government policy, there would have
been a 95% reduction in our demand met domestically, but under
this Government's policy, it will be 97%. For all the hue and cry
from the Opposition, that is the reality.
(Camborne and Redruth)
(Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his position. Cornwall is one
of the most deprived areas of northern Europe. However, we are
blessed with vast renewable energy resources, as mentioned
earlier: onshore wind, offshore wind, geothermal, tidal, solar
and ground source heat technologies, as well as critical
minerals, not from China but from Camborne and Redruth. Will the
Secretary of State meet me and Cornish colleagues to discuss how
GB Energy will be used to realise our renewable energy potential
and to transform local Cornish economies?
My hon. Friend is also a great guy to go on a boat with. As he
says, Cornwall and our coastal communities have an incredibly
important part to play. Some of the biggest economic challenges
we face as a country are in our coastal communities. It is not
easy, but if we get this right it will be a massive opportunity,
not just for Cornwall but for all our coastal communities, and
that is what this Government intend to do.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame )
I call .
(Strangford) (DUP)
Oh, thank you—you caught me off guard there, Madam Deputy
Speaker, because I am so used to being the last one in the House
to be called.
I welcome the Secretary of State to his place. I know it has
always been his ambition to have the opportunity to have this
role. Now he has it, I hope it goes well for him, and we will
support him in what he is trying to achieve. With the new
Government comes a new way of achieving goals and aims. I
represent Strangford, which is a mostly rural constituency.
Farming is a way of life and a key part of the economy. It
creates thousands of jobs and opportunities, and is key to our
future. Green energy and net zero are important for that as well.
Will the Secretary of State confirm that the farming community
and agrifood needs will be paramount in any effort to achieve a
better world for all of us to live in?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words. In the last few
days, I have sometimes sai3d to people that I feel that I am
going back to the job I did 15 years ago, but getting to try and
do it better. I am sure Members on the Opposition Benches would
agree with that. It is an amazing opportunity and a big
responsibility.
The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about the role of
rural of communities, particularly farming communities. We are
determined to get the balance right between food security, nature
preservation and clean energy. The truth is that we, as a
country, have not thought about the role of our land enough in
recent years. We hope that will be driven by the land use
framework that will be produced by my right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
(Great Grimsby and
Cleethorpes) (Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State and his team to their place. He
will know that my constituency has benefited hugely from offshore
wind, particularly in operations and maintenance, but the
critical part of the supply chain has failed to be produced. What
does he suggest that Members across the House can do to ensure we
get the supply chain right so that my constituents can benefit
from that investment?
I welcome my hon. Friend back to the House. It is fantastic to
see her back in her place—I congratulate her. She knows much
about this subject through working for RenewableUK when she was
outside the House, and she makes an important point. The shadow
Secretary of State drew attention to our generation of offshore
wind, which we have done well, but it is commonly accepted that
we have not done nearly so well in generating the jobs that
should come with that. Part of what I will be doing with my right
hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade is
developing a proper green industrial strategy, including in the
supply chain. That will provide clarity about the plan to ensure
that we have not just energy generation, but job generation
too.
(Bristol Central) (Green)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his role, and welcome the
Government's recognition that public investment must play a
substantial role in decarbonising power. I have seen that from my
previous career in offshore wind. However, this public investment
must not be only about de-risking private sector investment,
though some of his colleagues have implied that that would be the
principal role of Great British Energy. Will the Secretary of
State confirm that Great British Energy will invest in fully
publicly owned, or at least majority publicly owned, renewable
generation projects, and will not confine itself to taking
minority stakes in private sector-led projects that would give it
very little control?
I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. I can confirm that GB
Energy will play a role in all kinds of ways, and that we are
certainly not restricting it in the way that she suggests.
Furthermore, in the constructive spirit of these exchanges, I
would ask that the Green party thinks about its commitment to
tackling the climate crisis, which we all share, and then thinks
about this question of infrastructure. If it wants to tackle the
climate crisis, it should know that that simply will not happen
if its leading members say no to new energy infrastructure.
(Swansea West) (Lab)
I, too, welcome the Secretary of State to his place. It is very
appropriate that he is bringing this level of energy to the
debate, and we all hope to see much more of that in the years
ahead. It is a big contrast to the previous 10 years of inaction,
which has cost us, not just in terms of our energy security, but
in wasted opportunity. I wish to touch on one of those
opportunities, which is the huge tidal power potential that
Britain has in Swansea, and not just in Sefton. Does he agree
that it is time to seize that opportunity, rather than waste
it?
I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He was head of policy when
I was Leader of the Opposition, and I tended to do what he told
me, rather than the other way round, so it is a particular
pleasure to see him in his place. He makes such an important
point. Tidal is an area where Britain is in the lead, but we want
to go further and faster, as it has huge potential for our
country.
(Keighley and Ilkley)
(Con)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his place, but I have to say
that the Government's disastrous decision to industrialise our
highly productive, good agricultural land by approving three huge
solar farms clearly demonstrates their unwillingness to listen to
the concerns of local rural communities; it runs roughshod over
them and their ability to have their say. It is also hugely
detrimental to food security. Can he explain to the House how he
will look the farming community in the eye and explain his
decision, as well as the Government's lukewarm words on food
security being national security?
I am afraid that we have to conduct these debates on the basis of
fact, not myth. Some 0.1% of our land, and around that amount of
agricultural land, is being used for solar panels. We cannot
proceed on the basis of myth. The hon. Gentleman talks about the
farming community. Farmers want this. The National Farmers Union
has supported this decision. Of course we will work with local
communities, but every time an Opposition Member gets up and
opposes clean energy, they are saying to the British people, “We
are going to make you poorer. We are going to make Britain more
energy insecure, and we are not going to tackle the climate
crisis.”
(Bradford East) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for setting out his very clear
strategy. Will he confirm whether projects such as the new
hydrogen hub in Bradford will be at the forefront of that
strategy? Will he guarantee proper investment in places such as
Bradford, so that we can grow and become a global leader in this
sector, as well as generate well-paid and sustainable jobs?
I really welcome my hon. Friend's advocacy on this issue. The
hydrogen economy is a really important part of our future. It is
yet another example of where we can succeed as a country and
generate good jobs and good wages. I look forward to engaging
with him on these issues.
Mr (Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
May I take the Secretary of State back to the question of tidal
power generation? If he speaks to the developers in the sector,
they will tell him that they need two things to keep growing the
sector. They need an expanded pot for the ringfenced allocation
in the next allocation round, and they need an ambitious
deployment target for the sector. Can we have an early
announcement on that? If he really wants to understand the
potential of marine renewables, he needs to get himself up to the
European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. He is very welcome there
at any time, but he might want to come in the summer, while the
days are still long.
I thank the right hon. Member for that invitation, and I will
very much consider it, because I care a lot about this area.
Obviously, I have to make decisions, in a certain capacity, about
allocation round 6, but I have heard what he has said.
(East Renfrewshire)
(Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State and his excellent team to their
new roles. Can I look forward to welcoming them back to Whitelee
wind farm, which he has been to many times before, to see how the
largest onshore wind farm in the UK is contributing not only
energy, but to the community and its life?
I declare an interest as the outgoing chair of the Uyghur
Campaign in the UK. The Secretary of State will be aware that
much of the polysilicon used in solar manufacturing is sourced
from the Uyghur region, where Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims
are routinely used as slave labourers. The expansion of solar
that the Secretary of State is envisioning gives us enormous
economic leverage in the UK, and I wonder how he intends to use
that leverage to get the industry to clean up its supply chains
and seek alternative sources of polysilicon.
Let me welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He raises a very
important issue. There were some standards put in place by the
previous Government, but I think that we should take this issue
incredibly seriously. I look forward to discussions with him on
these issues.
(Ashfield) (Reform)
The Secretary of State speaks very passionately about GB Energy.
I remind him that just a few years ago, the Labour-controlled
Nottingham city council had its own energy company called Robin
Hood Energy, but this was Robin Hood with a modern twist: it
robbed from the poor and gave to the rich, and cost the taxpayer
about £50 million. Can the Secretary of State tell the House from
that Dispatch Box how much GB Energy will cost the taxpayer?
First of all, let me explain to the hon. Gentleman that Robin
Hood Energy was a supply company; this is a generation company.
Robin Hood was a retailer, so it is different, but I have to say
that I am surprised at the position that he takes. I thought his
party was in favour of publicly owned energy. I think it produced
lots of videos on social media to that effect.
(Newcastle-under-Lyme)
(Lab)
The Secretary of State knows from his recent visit to my
constituency just how important energy security is for the people
of Newcastle-under-Lyme. I am just sorry that there was no boat.
Over 14 years of the Tories, families' bills have been pushed up,
and we were left at the mercy of Putin after his invasion of
Ukraine. May I urge the Secretary of State to get to work
quickly, following his excellent return to the job—he is the
comeback kid—so that we can cut bills and give my constituents
the energy security that they deserve?
I think to be called a kid at my time of life is stretching
things a bit, but I am nevertheless grateful to my hon. Friend
for his contribution. He makes the important point that huge
opportunities exist right across our country. The United States
has used the Inflation Reduction Act to seize those
opportunities. Our economy is smaller, but we intend to seize
those opportunities with a proper, modern industrial policy.
(Glastonbury and Somerton)
(LD)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his place. Somerset is home
to many ground-mounted solar farm developments. Although I fully
support the significantly increasing amount of electricity that
we generate from renewables, I believe that the communities that
host the infrastructure should receive compensation. The
Government's recent policy statement on onshore wind agreed with
that, so will community benefit funds be mandated for new solar
farm developments?
The hon. Lady raises an important issue. The previous Government
had a whole series of consultations out on community benefit. We
will respond to those, but I want to be very clear that I believe
that when a community takes on the responsibility of hosting
clean energy infrastructure, it should benefit from it.
(Knowsley) (Lab)
I welcome my right hon. Friend to his role, and I welcome his
ambition. During the general election campaign, so many residents
in Knowsley told me that they were struggling with the cost of
living crisis and rising energy bills. Can the Secretary of State
confirm that Great British Energy will allow us to take back
control of our system, give us energy security, and crucially
lower bills for families?
Let me welcome my hon. Friend to her place, and congratulate her
on her election; she will be a great Member of Parliament. She
raises such an important issue. More than 3 million people are in
fuel poverty in our country. One thing that this Government will
do that the last Government did not is demand that landlords
raise the standard of their accommodation to a proper energy
performance certificate standard C by 2030. That will make a dent
in this issue, but the House should be in no doubt about our
ambition to cut that number of 3.2 million as much as possible in
the five years of this Parliament.
(North West Norfolk) (Con)
Plans for 90 miles of pylons from Lincolnshire to my North West
Norfolk constituency and new substations are strongly opposed by
local communities. Will the Secretary of State commit to a review
of network technologies, and consider a presumption in favour of
underground or offshore proposals?
I will look at all proposals, but I think the hon. Gentleman
knows that underground cables cost six to 10 times more; that is
why the last Government did not agree to them. If part of our
challenge is to cut bills for people, that is not a sustainable
solution for the future. I am sympathetic to all MPs who raise
issues on behalf of their constituents, but I gently say again to
him that if we want to avoid a repeat of the cost of living
crisis, if we want to tackle the climate crisis, and if we want
energy security, we will have to build the grid in our
country.
(Mid and South
Pembrokeshire) (Lab)
I welcome the comments of the Secretary of State, which are
incredibly encouraging for communities such as mine in west
Wales. Throughout the campaign, I heard again and again the
demand from local people, from Pembroke Dock to Milford Haven,
for well paid, secure jobs in the industries of the future. In
the port of Milford Haven we have a huge opportunity,
particularly in the area of floating offshore wind. Will the
Secretary of State meet me to discuss the opportunities for my
constituency, and how we can overcome the barriers to investment
in local jobs?
I was delighted to visit the port of Milford Haven during the
election campaign. There is an interesting issue here: the £1.8
billion investment that this Government are making in our ports
will hopefully allow us to invest in floating offshore wind at
more ports than the last Government were able to. I cannot make
promises about particular ports from the Dispatch Box, but this
is so important, because if we are to get the jobs here, we must
invest in our port infrastructure.
(Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
The Secretary of State referred multiple times to community
consent, yet the 6,000 acres of solar installation in the
constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk
() had no community consent.
That sends shivers down the spine of my constituents in and
around the villages known as the Claydons, who are looking down
the barrel of a 2,100-acre solar installation called Rosefield.
That is on top of a proposed battery storage plant next door, and
on top of the National Grid wanting to build a brand-new
substation to take the thing in; it is the tail wagging the dog.
What will change to make community consent a reality?
What the hon. Gentleman wants for nationally significant projects
is community veto.
indicated assent.
The hon. Gentleman nods his head. I will be honest with him: we
are not going to give community veto. The last Government did not
give it either. There are nationally significant projects that
the Government have to make decisions on. Obviously, we have to
take into account the views of local communities, but the whole
point of decision making on the nationally significant
infrastructure programme is that we look at the needs of the
nation as well. That is why community benefit is important. If we
ask local communities to host clean energy infrastructure,
sometimes they will not want it, or sometimes a minority will not
want it—I am not making presumptions in this case—and then we
should ensure that those communities benefit from it.
(Peterborough) (Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State and his team to the Chamber. It
is a privilege to make my first contribution in this House on
such an ambitious plan. It is ambitious not just on net zero, the
climate crisis and energy security, but on jobs and opportunities
for young people in places such as mine. In my constituency,
Peterborough college is already building a green technology
centre to develop new green apprenticeships, and we have plans
for a clean energy transition centre. Will the Secretary of State
put on record his commitment to working with trade unions,
communities, colleges and others, so that we can move from
blue-collar to green-collar apprenticeships, and give young
people an opportunity to succeed in life as we meet our climate
and energy needs?
I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He raises the important
question of how we ensure—this issue will be familiar to Members
across the House—that we not only have the capacity to generate
jobs in clean energy but can meet the skills needs of the country
in order to fill them. This is frankly something on which we need
to do a lot better as a country. My Department—I will talk about
this in the next few weeks—will take on more of a function around
looking at the skills needs of the clean energy economy, working
with the Department for Education on how we meet them. He raises
a crucial point in that context.
(Folkestone and Hythe)
(Lab)
I congratulate the Secretary of State and his team on their
recent appointment and thank them for their recent visit to
Cheyne Court wind farm in my constituency, which was opened by
the Secretary of State in 2009. Dungeness A and Dungeness B in my
constituency are former nuclear power stations that are in the
process of being decommissioned. Dungeness has the land,
infrastructure, grid connections and local expertise that make it
well placed for new nuclear. Will the Secretary of State be
willing to meet me to discuss how we can harness Dungeness's
potential for the local area and the regional community?
I was delighted to visit the Cheyne Court wind farm with my hon.
Friend—a wind farm that I opened 15 years ago on my first visit
as the Secretary of State. Pictures of how much I have aged
between then and now are available on request. He raises a really
important issue. He is an important advocate for clean energy,
whether in relation to wind power or the potential nuclear
programme. Both are important to us.
(Leeds East) (Lab)
I congratulate the Secretary of State on his position, and on the
vigorous start that he has made on this most important of issues
facing humanity and the world. I was particularly encouraged to
see him put climate diplomacy high on the agenda, and at the
heart of the new Cabinet. That is so important, after 14 years of
the previous Government's denigration of Britain's role in the
world on this most important issue of tackling climate change.
Will he further outline to the House the work that he plans to
ensure that, unlike in the past 15 years, Britain will be the
main player that it needs to be in global co-operation on
tackling the threat of climate change?
I am pleased that my hon. Friend has asked me that question. The
world wants to see British leadership, but British leadership
starts at home with the power of example. If we do not show that
we are acting at home then people say, “You're telling us one
thing abroad, but doing something different when it comes to your
own domestic situation.” The truth is that COP29 in Azerbaijan
and crucially COP30 in Brazil will be very important moments.
COP30 is when the world has to come to terms with how far off
track we are from 1.5°C, and put in our nationally determined
contributions for 2035. I look forward to Britain playing as much
of a constructive role in those negotiations as we can.
(Middlesbrough South and East
Cleveland) (Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his place. Teesside is
perfectly positioned for the green jobs of the future—jobs in
hydrogen, clean power and ports—as my right hon. Friend knows
from his recent visit to Teesport. Will he meet me and colleagues
to ensure that we can bring jobs and investment to Teesside?
My hon. Friend, who I welcome to his place, makes such an
important point about the role Teesside can play. I saw on a
recent visit how much potential there is and we look forward to
working with him on these issues.
(Basingstoke) (Lab)
I welcome my right hon. Friend and his team to their place. He
had the privilege of visiting Basingstoke college of technology
during the election campaign to meet some of the fantastic
apprentices and students there. Further to his answer to my hon.
Friend the Member for Peterborough (), will he commit to working
with colleges such as BCOT as he develops the plan for skills and
training for the hundreds of thousands of jobs we need to deliver
on our ambition of a clean energy superpower?
I thank my hon. Friend and welcome him to the House. He brings a
wealth of knowledge and experience on these issues. I enjoyed my
visit to Basingstoke. What really came home to me on that visit
was young people's enthusiasm for this agenda—not simply because
they care about the climate crisis, but because they see this as
a potential future for themselves, their friends and their
family. I look forward to working with colleges such as his to
make that a reality.
(Calder Valley) (Lab)
It is great to see my right hon. Friend in his place after over a
decade of leadership on this issue, talking about climate change
and really making that difference. If we are to be a clean energy
superpower, we need to learn from good examples and better
practice wherever it is. In Calder Valley, Together Housing is a
good example of a housing association that is doing well in
putting solar on roofs and taking advantage of microgeneration.
However, I am sure he will agree that one problem for those kinds
of projects is that the national grid is not up to scratch. Key
to being a clean energy superpower is getting a modern national
grid. Will he also agree to visit some of Together Housing's
projects, which keep bills down and put solar panels on
roofs?
I welcome my hon. Friend to his place and congratulate him on his
election, and I commend his housing association for what it is
doing. He raises one of the biggest issues that the previous
Government faced and that this Government face. The flipside of
all the Conservative Members saying that they do not want the
grid built is what my hon. Friend just said—maybe they should
have a conversation. What he is saying is that if we do not build
the grid, we cannot get the clean energy and we cannot cut bills
for our constituents. I do not say that this is easy, and I do
not want to pretend that it is. Certainly the last Government did
not find it easy, but we have to decide. To govern is to choose,
and our choice is that we believe this clean energy
infrastructure needs to be built.
(Bracknell) (Lab)
Last week Bracknell Forest council held a climate change summit,
bringing together local businesses, schools and community
organisations in my constituency to engage in discussions about
how best to face the challenges of climate change. Does the
Secretary of State agree that communities are crying out to take
part and to be engaged in the clean energy transition?
Again, I congratulate my hon. Friend. He raises an important
point that we have not touched on: the role of citizens in this
change. My sense is that, while of course there are specific
planning issues that people raise about their own communities,
the view of many citizens in our country is, “What can I do? What
difference can I make?” I think the Government need to do a
better job of answering that. That is not nanny-statism, to
reassure the Conservatives, but public information about the
difference people can make in this incredibly important
cause.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame )
Last but not least, I call .
(Birmingham Northfield)
(Lab)
As a recent official of the GMB trade union, which has been
mentioned in this statement, I welcome the Secretary of State and
his team and officials to their place. How welcome it is to have
a change of Government from the record of the last 14 years, with
the ducking and delaying of difficult decisions on issues from
nuclear to gas storage, and the exclusion for too long of
workers' voices from the decisions that affect the energy system.
In opposition, my right hon. Friend established an energy
transition working group to bring together trade unions and
workers' voices at the heart of energy plans. Can he confirm
today that continuing that group in government will be an early
priority for this new Administration?
I welcome my hon. Friend to this House and thank him for the work
we did together in opposition on all these issues. As this is the
final question, he ends on a really important point: this
Government have a completely different attitude to the role that
trade unions can play in the future of our energy system, and we
are proud of it. If we are to make the energy transition,
including in the North sea, and build a proper industrial policy
for the future, we should do what every other self-respecting
nation does and have trade unions at the heart of our
policymaking and decision making. That is what this Government
will do.
Madam Deputy Speaker
Congratulations everybody on getting through that; I am delighted
that everybody got to ask their question and I thank the
Secretary of State for his responses.
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