Following a chaotic day inside Downing Street sparked by Tony Blair’s brutal broadside on net zero, YouGov has dropped a timely poll asking if the public if they think net zero is – as Blair put it – doomed to fail. The overwhelming majority agree with the former PM…
Out of over 5,300 Britons, a whopping 74% think the UK will either ‘definitely’ or’ probably’ fail to reach net zero by 2050 – with 70% of Labour voters agreeing it’s unlikely. Just 11% think the UK will ‘probably succeed’, while a pitiful 1% believe the UK will ‘definitely’ achieve it. Red Ed is aiming for 95% clean energy by 2030 – a full 20 years earlier than the target most people already think is out of reach. No wonder Number 10 have refused to guarantee his survival…
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…
Tony Blair has delivered a scathing rebuke to Labour’s climate policy in a foreword to a new report from the Tony Blair Institute, ‘The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change’. Blair brands Labour’s net zero agenda as “inadequate”, “unrealistic” and “unworkable”:
“The current approach isn’t working… These are the inconvenient facts, which mean that any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail… The disdain for technology in favour of the purist solution of stopping fossil-fuel production is totally misguided… The COP process will not deliver change at the speed required… Political leaders by and large know that the debate has become irrational. But they’re terrified of saying so for fear of being accused of being ‘climate deniers’.”
The paper instead calls for prioritising adaptation to unavoidable climate impacts, backing tech solutions, nuclear power and rethinking the net zero obsession with immediate emissions cuts. Red Ed won’t be thrilled to see his own side lighting up his green dream – especially since Blair is reportedly still whispering in Starmer’s ear behind the scenes. Meanwhile, experts are blaming yesterday’s colossal blackouts across Spain and Portugal on the Spanish grid’s overreliance on solar and wind energy. Not the first time Blair has hit out at his own party over net zero…
It wasn’t all breezy for Red Ed at the International Summit on the Future of Energy Security in London today. The US energy department’s acting assistant of international affairs Tommy Joyce warned against “dangerous” net zero policies on a panel shortly after Miliband took the stage to tout a “hard-headed approach” to low-carbon power. Joyce made a not-so-subtle dig at the green dream:
“Some want to regulate every form of energy besides the so-called renewables, completely out of existence and in favour of a net zero. We oppose these harmful and dangerous policies. This is not energy security, and we know exactly where it leads. The focus during the last administration was on climate politics and policies leading to that (energy) scarcity. These policies have been embraced by many, not just the United States, and harm human lives.”
‘Climate’ King Charles won’t be pleased…
Ed Miliband and the DESNZ ministerial team have been jetting around internationally and domestically at high rates. With at least 44,600 air miles since coming to office Ed has a carbon footprint 12 times higher than the average Brit…
Considering Ed’s vehement opposition to the expansion of Heathrow airport Guido was surprised to see in an FOI response that Miliband travels from LHR more often than any other UK airport. Miliband flew into and out of Heathrow for his trip to Brazil as well as his recent jaunt to Beijing. That’s four LHR flights compared to only one from Stansted and one from Gatwick. The energy secretary prefers it to any other airport at a ratio of 4:1…
Miliband’s minister Kerry McCarthy has also flown most frequently from Heathrow. Probably a good idea to expand it then…
There’s a lot of speculation as to the cause of the fire at an electrical substation near Heathrow which has completely shut down the airport and is likely to cripple UK air travel for several days. A recent spate of Russia-linked arson attempts has nerves jangling…
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News:
“I have spoken to the National Grid this morning who have talked me through what happened which was a catastrophic fire at a substation, the substation that serves Heathrow. Work is ongoing to put the fire out and to restore power as soon as possible, and that is what the National Grid and obviously the fire brigade and others are working on. But this is what they describe as a catastrophic fire at the substation and it is obviously a fast moving picture and they are doing everything they can to both obviously get the fire out and restore power.”
He later updated that line in a further interview on LBC, saying: “There’s no suggestion that there is foul play.” Asked whether it was a “catastrophic accident”, Miliband said: “The conversation I’ve had is with the National Grid, the chief executive of the National Grid and certainly, that’s what he said to me.” More to add shortly no doubt…
UPDATE: London Fire Brigade take a different tack to Miliband – a senior fire officer wouldn’t comment on the cause of the fire in a press conference which began around 11:00 a.m. Meanwhile The Times reports counter-terror police are part of the investigation.
UPDATE II: Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation, though the Met Police say there is no indication of foul play. A spokesperson for the force says:
“We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time. Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries.This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
