'We'll cut your energy bills by turning UK into a renewables superpower'

03 December 2023 , 10:54

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Ed Miliband and Keir Starmer have been attending the COP summit in Dubai (Image: PA)

Labour’s climate leadership at COP is about cutting bills and boosting independence for Britain.

This weekend, Keir Starmer, and David Lammy, and I are meeting world leaders at COP with one message - that whilst Rishi Sunak trashes Britain’s reputation, a Labour government will make the UK a clean energy superpower and world leader again, so we can cut bills for British families at home, protect our national security, and tackle the climate crisis.

The Tories will tell you we can either decarbonise the economy or tackle the cost of living crisis, but not both — and they have spectacularly failed to do either in 13 years.

Labour will do both. The reason is simple - the same fossil fuels that spiked energy prices, and sent the cost of living spiralling, are also driving the climate crisis.

Rishi Sunak thinks that the answer to this is to double down on expensive fossil fuels. His disastrous U-turns away from net zero see that Britain’s energy system is permanently locked into dependency on forms of energy that are too expensive, and are controlled by fossil fuel dictators like Vladimir Putin.

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Rishi Sunak’s abdication of leadership doesn’t just trash Britain’s standing in the world, it leaves the British people exposed to future cost of living disaster too. It puts narrow party interest and petty politics above what is best for our country. That is why even Tories like Theresa May are now calling him out.

Labour has an energy plan to bring down bills for working people. We will set up GB Energy, a publicly owned clean energy company so we can make more clean power at home in Britain - the best way to cut bills for families, and deliver energy independence for our country.

We will upgrade the energy efficiency of millions of homes – so we can cut emissions and cut bills at the same time. We will create hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the whole country in the British industries of the future, from insulating homes to building the turbines that will power our clean energy future.

Countries around the world look to Britain for leadership. Labour will step up and lead. This is about stopping climate disaster and it’s about a better life now for you and your family- lower bills, energy independence and good jobs. That is the change Labour will deliver.

Ed Miliband