Labour accuses Reform of threatening almost one million jobs with net zero plans
His comments come after Reform deputy leader Richard Tice wrote to energy companies urging them not to invest in the latest round of green energy contracts, known as Allocation Round 7 (AR7).
Mr Tice said he had put the companies on 'formal notice' that their investments were 'politically and commercially unsafe' as a future Reform government would seek to 'strike down all contracts signed under AR7'.
But he later told the BBC that Reform would not renege on contracts, only oppose any 'variation'.
Mr Shanks called the letter an 'energy surrender plan that would leave bills high for families and businesses, keeping the UK stuck on the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets'.
Labour also pointed to estimates from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which suggested the net zero sector now supported 951,000 jobs across the country.
That figure includes almost 138,000 jobs in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber, areas where Reform has enjoyed electoral success including in this year's Greater Lincolnshire mayoral contest and Mr Tice's own Boston and Skegness constituency.
Mr Tice said: 'Labour's reckless net zero fantasies are destroying hundreds of thousands of industrial jobs, costing taxpayers £12 billion a year in renewable subsidies, and leaving us with some of the highest energy bills in the world.
'The OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) confirms that £30 billion of taxpayer money is being poured into net zero projects. These policies are crippling our economy and driving people out of this country.'
In a report published last week, the OBR estimated tackling climate change would cost the Government £30 billion a year, largely in lost income from taxes such as fuel duty.
But it also warned that failing to act presented a 'more significant fiscal cost' because of damage caused by climate change.
Mr Shanks's intervention is the latest in a series of Labour attack lines against Reform, which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer now regards as his real opponents.
Reform has made opposition to net zero a major part of its platform since the last election.
Earlier in the year Mr Tice pledged to 'wage war' on the policy while Greater Lincolnshire mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns told Times Radio on Thursday she did not believe climate change was real.
But Labour believes this could be a weakness for Mr Farage's party, as polls indicate net zero continues to enjoy significant support.
One survey conducted on behalf of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit ahead of the local elections in May found 54% of Reform voters backed 'policies to stop climate change'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on talking in class: the writers speaking up for oracy education are right
Two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer enthused about teaching speaking skills. So schools campaigners were understandably dismayed when oracy – otherwise known as speaking and listening – did not appear in the interim report of the curriculum review for England headed by Prof Becky Francis. Peter Hyman, the former New Labour adviser who became a headteacher, has been a key figure behind the revival, over the past decade, of an idea developed in the 1960s. Steps to embed the importance of verbal communication in education have already been taken, with more than 1,000 schools working with the charity Voice 21, and a parallel project in Scotland. The hope expressed by children's authors and others last week is that its absence from the draft report was an oversight which will soon be rectified. The task before Prof Francis's commission is a daunting one, with reformers of all kinds looking to it for solutions. An evidence call attracted 7,000 responses, with the future of special educational needs provision, and a wish to reduce exams, among key issues raised. But it should be clear to the panel, and to ministers, that oral learning also matters. One reason is the rising number of children arriving in primary school with speech and language skills below the expected level. While some pupils catch up later, others need specialist help. Communication difficulties are one reason for the increase in the number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which set out what such support entails. The reasons for such complex changes are not yet fully understood, although the pandemic has had an impact. The challenge of artificial intelligence, in relation to university studies as well as schools, is another factor behind a renewed emphasis on talking. Given the easy availability of technological tools to aid writing, it is arguably more important than ever that people are equipped to share ideas and knowledge through speech as well. In many European countries oral examinations are far more common, in schools as well as universities, whereas in the UK 'vivas' are mostly reserved for postgraduate studies. In foreign language learning, the importance of speaking is taken for granted. But while oracy already features in the maths and science curriculum, as well as in English, it is often marginalised. The tricky task of reformers is to alter teaching practice so that more weight is placed on verbal communication, without making this yet another assessment hurdle to be cleared. For its champions, the core of oracy education is the ability to make connections. They want young people to be able to express themselves, and point out that this is a vital life skill – for example, in job interviews and the kinds of public‑facing work that seem least likely to be taken over by machines – for which school should prepare them. Big gaps in confidence about public speaking have long been recognised among the most glaring social inequalities. This doesn't mean that everyone should aspire to be a debating champion. Different accents, personalities and ways of relating should be valued, not ironed out. But if our schools are to keep pace with our frenetically changing world, it is surely right that they should maximise the facility for language, which is part of what makes us human.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Former North Tyneside Mayor Dame Norma Redfearn granted Freedom of Borough
The former three-time mayor of North Tyneside has been granted the council's highest Norma Redfearn was nominated for the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of her "extraordinary leadership" and the "transformative change" brought to the area during her Karen Clark put forward the Labour veteran's nomination, which was unanimously agreed said: "Through her passion, dedication, and tireless efforts, Dame Norma Redfearn has left an indelible mark on North Tyneside." She said the former mayor "really did make North Tyneside a great place to live, work, and visit."The position of mayor is an elected role and is effectively the leader of the Norma announced her decision last year not to seek re-election, marking the beginning of the end of her 12 years in narrowly retained the mayoralty for Labour in May after beating Reform UK by a thin margin. Dame Norma's administration saw the regeneration of large parts of Whitley Bay including the re-opening of the long-disused Spanish City Dome. She also played a key role in regional devolution, which saw the creation of the North East Combined Authority and the North East elected to North Tyneside Council as a councillor for the Riverside ward in 2004, Dame Norma joined the cabinet and was responsible for the children and young people portfolio in was first elected as mayor in 2013, defeating the then Conservative incumbent Linda to her 20-year career in local politics, she spent 30 years as an educator, culminating as the head teacher of West Walker Primary the Conservative opposition supported the nomination, Tory councillor John Johnson lamented that the same honour was not bestowed to her late following clarification from the council's legal officer, it was determined the Freedom of the Borough could not be handed over posthumously, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
