Conservative response to Jeremy Corbyn’s energy announcement

Responding, Claire Perry MP, Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, said:

“Every Labour government leaves office with unemployment higher than when they got in.

“We have got unemployment down to its lowest levels since the 1970s and will create more well-paid jobs across the whole country with our modern Industrial Strategy, including by backing clean growth. 

“We have already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over a fifth and helped secure the Paris climate change deal, ensuring that we protect our environment for future generations.

“This is the 37^th unfunded promise Labour have made since the last election. Labour’s ideas have all failed before and would leave the country struggling with more debt, more waste and ordinary working people paying for it – just like last time. Only the Conservative offer people opportunity for the future.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Every Labour government leaves office with unemployment higher than when they went in.

• ·         No Labour government has ever left office with unemployment lower than it was when they came into government.  Every Labour government has left office with unemployment higher than it was when it came into government. Comparing roughly the election periods of October to December 1974 to March to May 1979, the unemployment level increased from 976,000 to 1.4 million.  Taking May to July 1997 to March to May 2010, the unemployment level increased from 2.1 million to 2.5 million (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 13 September 2017, link; Fullfact, 7 April 2014, link).

• ·         Nearly half a million more people unemployed under Labour – in Labour’s last term in office unemployment increased by one million. In February to April 1997, there were 2.047 million people unemployed. In February to April 2010 there were 2.510 million people unemployed, an increase of 463,000 or 23 per cent (ONS, MGSC, 15 October 2014, link).

• ·         Youth unemployment rose by 45 per cent under Labour – meaning young people were not getting the skills they need to get on in life. In February to April 1997 there were 652,000 unemployed 16 to 24 year olds. By February to April 2010, this had risen by 287,000 to 939,000 (ONS,Labour Market Statistics, 18 March 2015, link).

• ·         The number of households in which no member ever worked almost doubled under Labour. In April to June 1997 there were 136,000 households (excluding student households) where all members have never worked. In April to June 2010 there were 269,000, an increase of 133,000 (ONS, Working and workless households 2011, Table E, 1 September 2011, link).

• ·         Labour have made 37 unfunded spending commitments since the last election. That means Labour have made a new unfunded spending commitment on average once every two weeks, with the latest being on childcare and energy but others ranging from introducing free bus travel for the under-25s to abolishing the household benefit cap (CRD Analysis, available upon request).

We’ve got unemployment down to its lowest levels since the 1970s – and will deliver more well-paid jobs across the whole country with our modern industrial strategy.

• ·         Employment is up by over 3 million since Labour were in power – meaning over 1,000 jobs have been created on average every day.That’s over 3,300,000 more people who have the security of bringing home a regular pay packet. In the three months to April 2010, there were 29.05 million people in employment. In the three months to July 2018 there were 32.40million people in work (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 11 September 2018, link).

• ·         Unemployment is down by over 1 million since 2010. In the three months to April 2010, there were 2.5 million people unemployed. In the three months to July 2018 there were 1.36 million people unemployed (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 11 September 2018, link).

• ·         Employment rate for women at a record high. With over 15 million women in work, there are now 1.6 million more women in work since 2010 (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 11 September 2018, link).

• ·         Youth unemployment is down by 450,000 (48.0 per cent) since 2010. For the three months to July 2018, youth unemployment was 488,000. It was 939,000 in February to April 2010 (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 11 September 2018, link).

 This Conservative government is providing global leadership in combating climate change, while investing in the next generation of renewables.

• ·         We’ve reduced our greenhouse gasses by over a fifth, ensuring that we protect our natural environment. Since 2010, UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 22 per cent – in part due to our commitment to phase out our use of coal. Since 1990, emissions are down by 43 per cent (DBEIS, 2017 UK greenhouse gas emissions: provisional figures, 29 March 2018, link; DBEIS, UK greenhouse gas emissions: data tables, 6 February 2018, link).

• ·         Helped secure the Paris Agreement.  The Government has secured a global deal to play its part in halting climate change.  The deal will limit global temperature rises, avoid the worst impact of climate change and sets out a long-term goal of net zero emissions, showing that the Government and the world is committed to decarbonising (DBEIS press release, 18 November 2016, link).

• ·         2017 was the cleanest and greenest year ever for electricity.  2017 saw the first full day without coal power since the Industrial Revolution while the rise of renewable energy helped break 13 clean energy records in 2017 (The Times, 28 December 2017, link). 

• ·         Supporting renewable technologies – securing the future of clean energy in the UK. Latest figures indicate that more than half of our electricity generation in 2017 came from low-carbon sources such as wind, nuclear and solar. Just 5 years ago, dirty coal power accounted for 40 per cent of our electricity - this figure is now 7 per cent. The government has driven this change, investing more than £52 billion in renewable energy since 2010 and committing to phasing out unabated coal power by 2025 (DBEIS article, 20 February 2018, link).

• ·         Renewable electricity generation is now at a record high due to our investment. The share of electricity we generated from renewables rose to a record high of 29.4 per cent in 2016. Electricity from clean wind power increased by 43 per cent between December 2017 and February 2018. Low carbon electricity’s share of generation increased to a record high of 50.4 per cent in 2017, driven in part by increased renewable capacity (DBEIS press release, 3 May 2018, link; DBEIS, Energy Trends: March 2018, 29 March 2018, link).

• ·         £2.5 billion will be invested to support low carbon innovation from 2015 to 2021, as part of the largest increase in public spending on science, research and innovation in over three decades. £505 million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Energy Innovation Programme, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes (DBEIS press release, 12 October 2017, link).