Ed Miliband was wheeled out on the Today Programme this morning to handle the fallout after Labour’s winter fuel U-turn. Like Reeves, he was busy softening the ground for tax hikes come the Autumn. Miliband insisted the original cut wasn’t a “mistake”. The 11-point nosedive in the polls might beg to differ…
Miliband then went on to say the cuts were all about stopping “millionaires” getting government handouts. The threshold was cut to £11,500. Doesn’t exactly scream Mayfair money…
“The principle question was do the richest in our society, should they get the winter fuel payment should millionaires should the richest get the winter fuel payment I think the answer for most people to that is no principle.”
That excuse already wore thin…
Ed Miliband spoke about ‘leading’ on The Rest is Politics podcast yesterday. Ironic…
Alastair Campbell asked the energy secretary if he was worried about losing his Doncaster North seat to Reform. It’s a yes…
“Look I think Reform are a threat, yeah, I think Reform are a threat across the country. I had this conversation in the pub last Friday night… he epitomised the point of ‘go big’ which is he was saying ‘look you know whether it’s ability to afford a house make ends meet the cost of living the public services I feel like life is so hard and you’re not you guys aren’t addressing that.'”
According to Electoral Calculus’ post-locals projections Miliband’s plurality is up for the chop. He has held Doncaster North since 2005 – it would be one of the 59 Labour seats to go to Farage at a margin of 46% to 29%. Miliband is not the only cabinet minister who will be thinking of flying the coop…
Guido revealed earlier in the month that jet-loving Miliband flew to New Delhi on a vanity trip at a cost of £17,159 for flights alone. He’s outdone himself again..
A request fired by Guido’s FoI unit has discovered that Miliband’s vaunted trip to China to launch “formal energy and climate discussions and demonstrate global climate leadership” cost a whopping £32,844. Business class for the whole team…
China accounted for 31% of total global carbon emissions in 2023. Miliband took his three-member team and two other officials with him. They stayed at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing, a five-star establishment for which they paid £806.20 for two three-night stays. UK media has previously raised spying concerns as to the Kerry centre in Beijing’s CBD after “upgrades” were made to internet systems some years ago. Miliband’s crew spent the rest of the time at the Embassy in Beijing…
In yet another blow to Red Ed, the UK’s largest oil and gas producer Harbour Energy has said it expects to slash a further 250 jobs in Aberdeen, after already cutting 350 in 2023. That’s around 25% of its workforce. Ironically where GB Energy’s headquarters are…
The firm’s laying the blame squarely at the government’s doorstep, slamming Labour’s beefed-up windfall tax – a whopping 78% – and red tape driving away investment in the name of net zero. The firm also says it’s reviewing its carbon capture project after government delays. Green dream ‘doomed to fail‘, anyone?
Harbour Energy’s managing director Scott Barr said the firm was launching a review into its UK operations, saying:
“The review is unfortunately necessary to align staffing levels with lower levels of investment, due mainly to the government’s ongoing punitive fiscal position and a challenging regulatory environment. We are also reviewing the resourcing required to support our Viking carbon capture and storage project, where progress beyond front-end engineering design and the recent securing of a Development Consent Order has been hindered by repeated delays to the Government’s Track 2 process.”
Meanwhile Ørsted has pulled out of a huge wind farm project in the UK citing high costs. A reminder that only in January Britain was on the brink of blackouts…
Co-conspirators may remember Ed Miliband’s bizarre trip to New Delhi back in February. It received almost no UK press attention whatsoever…
Guido did catch Miliband saying “the UK is a proud oil and gas producer” at a panel before rushing off without taking questions. Something that miraculously didn’t make it into the joint diplomatic statement…
Guido’s FoI Unit sought the cost of the jaunt. The taxpayer bill for flights alone totted up to £17,159 – Miliband brought five officials with him, only one of whom took a premium economy ticket. The rest of Ed’s crew flew business class…
In fairness to the Justice Secretary, when she took her Civil Service staff with her to Texas this year she shoved them in economy. Miliband, who loves flying from Heathrow, has no such compunction…
Latest research from the Renewable Energy Foundation won’t pour any cold water over Labour’s civil war on net zero. According to the study, subsidies for renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind farms have added around £280 to household energy bills a year. The research shows that from 2002-2024, renewable electricity subsidy schemes have amounted to around £220 billion. It finds green energy subsidies now account for about 40% of the total cost of electricity supply in the UK…
John Constable, REF’s director, said: “Renewables subsidies are now costing £25.8 billion per year – or over £900 per household annually – about one third of which, £280, will hit the average domestic electricity bill directly.” The rest impacts households through general cost of living increases. The report concludes:
“There can be little doubt that renewable electricity subsidies are a significant factor in the cost of living crisis and are very likely to be an important element underlying the weak growth in productivity in the UK economy since the financial crisis of 2008.”
Meanwhile, Ed Miliband still can’t say whether energy bills will come down for households by making the UK a ‘green energy superpower’ – Labour’s promise to bring down bills by £300 has already gone out the window. Unhelpful for Red Ed’s shaky position…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”