The post-PMQs briefing between hacks and Starmer’s spokesman has been dominated by the ongoing chaos over Tony Blair’s intervention into the net zero debate. Something Badenoch chose not to mention during the actual session…
Starmer’s spokesman says it’s “good to see there is broad support for government’s approach to net zero” and that the TBI “has backed the government’s approach.” Broad being the operative word there…
The government is having to point to the bits of policy that Blair agrees with – small modular reactors and carbon capture and storage. After Blair trashed COP summits as the “apogee” of “irrational” debate around net zero Starmer’s spokesman claims the PM supports the summits and that “international collaboration absolutely critical” but he is “always open to ideas.” Eesh…
When asked if he had full confidence in Miliband the spokesman said the energy secretary is doing “a fantastic job in winning the global race for the jobs of the future” and the PM has “full confidence in him.” When asked to guarantee – like for Reeves and Lammy – that Ed would be in post at the next election, none came. Curious…
Green Deputy Leader Rachel Millward said:
“The reality is that it’s Zack Polanski who brought the nation, Andy Burnham. And if we hadn’t had the success of the Green Party in this last year since Zack’s been leading, which has been unprecedented, phenomenal success and a growth from about 60,000 members to 230,000, if we hadn’t had that much pressure on Labour, then we’d probably still be in the Starmer regime, which was pretty much ushering in a Reform government with its lurch to the right. So actually, what we’re seeing now is that we’ve set the political agenda and the government is picking that up.”