Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has pledged to create well-paid jobs as part of plans to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower.
In a speech to GMB Congress, Starmer pledged that a Labour government will put working people front and centre of the shift, promising cleaner, safer work, lower bills and better infrastructure for Britain.
“The world around us is changing, and changing fast. President Biden once said, ‘when I hear climate change, I think jobs’. When Labour sets out its mission for Britain to become a clean energy superpower next week, we are thinking jobs too,” he said.
“Jobs – good, union jobs – will be fundamental to cleaner, safer work, new and better infrastructure for Britain.
“I won’t pretend that just because a technology is greener that automatically makes working conditions fairer.
“So, as new nuclear, battery factories and offshore wind repower Britain, Labour will build strong supply chains that create jobs, new skills and decent wages here in Britain.”
He added: “We will work with you and with industry to seize the opportunities of hydrogen, carbon capture and storage.
“Our Green Prosperity Plan, like President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, is our plan for growth and because we are Labour it is also a plan for working people, their jobs and their prosperity.”
Responding to Starmer’s speech, an open letter signed by 140 groups including the RSPB, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, Save the Children, Friends of the Earth, WWF-UK and UNISON Scotland welcomed the commitment to end new oil and gas developments.
Friends of the Earth’s head of climate Jamie Peters said: “Ending new gas, oil and coal developments is a no brainer and should be a key policy for any party that’s serious about our nation’s wellbeing and future prosperity.
“There’s no debate that workers’ rights must be part of the move to a zero-carbon energy system. Investing in renewables and energy efficiency measures will boost the economy, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, increase energy security and help bring down our energy bills for good. It is vital that Labour’s policy comes with plans to support a fair transition and supports oil and gas workers to move into secure and well-paid jobs in the green industries of the future.”