Foreign secretary David Lammy is in Singapore today announcing a new UK-Singapore Green Energy collaboration. As part of the deal, he’s pledged £70 million of UK taxpayers’ money to support Singapore’s “clean energy transition”. Clearly this was part of the foreign aid budget that couldn’t be cut…
Singapore is hardly short of cash – it ranks 4th globally in GDP per capita, according to the IMF. It also contributes just 0.15% of global carbon emissions as of 2022. The country already has a well-developed green agenda through its Green Plan 2030, having doubled its solar capacity since 2020 and frozen growth in vehicle numbers. For £70 million, you could:
Singaporeans certainly feel much better off than Brits. The taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
Speaking on the Labour chaos over the last few weeks, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told The Guardian:
“You call it a sh*tshow, I say it’s unforgivable…It does look to people outside that we’re more interested in ourselves and less interested in preventing chaos. […] We’ve not done enough, and this has got to be the moment of reckoning where we say not just what are we here for, but who are we here for?”