Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel has shut down claims the Conservatives are no longer the party of the environment.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch today cast major doubts over Britain’s plan to reach net zero by 2050, saying it’s “impossible” and would make the country dangerously dependent on China.
Speaking on GB News, Patel denied suggestions this makes the Tories anti-green.
“That’s not correct. Kemi quite rightly spoke of the level of scrutiny we need to be providing around arbitrary targets”, she said.
Priti Patel spoke to Christopher Hope on GB News
GB NEWS
“What we discussed today was this arbitrary target of 2050 and net zero. Not the plans on how to get there.
“This is successive governments failing to deliver plans and we hear Ed Miliband make remarks around 2050 but not recognising the cost to the taxpayers.
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Conservative leader Kemi BadenochPA“I want to see more technology when it comes to the development of green initiatives. We’ve seen that. Britain is successful on renewables.
“I have been on GB News so many times and spoken about this in the past as well. Technology is one thing, taxes? Not without a plan.
“All they’re doing is layering more taxes on the British taxpayer and that is not acceptable.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has hit back at the Tories after Badenoch’s declaration, insisting it is the “economic opportunity of our time”.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is spearheading Britain’s net zero pushParliament.tv
Miliband told the Commons: “The Opposition is off to the Wacky Races, frankly, when it comes to net zero.
“We on this side know, and this Government knows, the truth that net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and under this Government we will seize it.”
Labour MP Luke Myer (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) said the energy policy of the Tories could put thousands of carbon capture and storage jobs in Teesside “at risk”.
Miliband replied: “This is the economic opportunity of our time, our investment in carbon capture and storage shows what is possible.
“The desperate request for attention by the Opposition that we’ve seen today is anti-business, anti-jobs, anti-growth, anti-investment and the wrong choice for Britain.”
For the Conservatives, shadow energy minister Andrew Bowie raised questions about the seventh carbon budget (CB7) from the Climate Change Committee.
He said: “Among the more eye-watering recommendations was the figure put on the cost of meeting the obligations – it was £319 billion over the next 15 years, frontloading there will be a net cost to industry every year until 2050.
“Can I ask the Secretary of State: is the exorbitant cost the reason he cancelled his department’s review into the whole systems cost of net zero commissioned by his predecessor?”
Miliband replied: “I deeply regret the direction in which (Mr Bowie) is going.
“I think the Climate Change Committee does incredibly important work. We will look at CB7 but the biggest cost we face as a country is if we do not act on the climate crisis – that is what will leave hundreds of billions of pounds of cost to future generations.”
