Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has hit out at Labour after Starmer announced an ambitious new climate target for the UK at the COP29 summit.
The UK has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81 per cent by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.
The Shadow Energy Secretary criticised Labour’s climate plans on GB News today, pointing to a recent National Energy Systems Operator report on grid decarbonisation.
She said: “Last week the National Energy Systems Operator produced a report on Ed Miliband s flagship project.
Claire Coutinho said the idea is “extremely worrying”
GB News
“Decarbonize the grid by 2030. We could see in black and white that this is going to make the cost of electricity in this country more expensive. That is there in that report.
“The thing that I think is extremely worrying is that they’ve been promising the British electorate something very different. They said that they were going to cut bills by £300 by 2030. We can now all see in this report that that is simply just not true.”
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Coutinho detailed several “fantastical assumptions” in the report that she claims make Labour’s plans unrealistic.
These “assumptions” include an international gas price “40 per cent higher than current departmental forecasts” and a carbon price “almost double the current level.”
She explained: “It means that you would have to vastly increase the amount of offshore wind and grid that you would build, with not a single planning delay and not moving prices at all.
“If you can achieve all of those things, then the system costs are roughly the same. So if you miss even just one of those fantastical assumptions, you are going to see a much greater increase in the cost of electricity.
Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband PA
“So I think it is simply wrong for ministers, for the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State Ed Miliband, to claim that the report showed that the cost of electricity would be cheaper under their approach.”
In response to concerns about public impact, Starmer assured that the new climate targets would not burden British citizens.
“What we’re not going to do, is start telling people how to live their lives. We’re not going to start dictating to people what they do,” the Prime Minister stated at the Baku press conference.
The new target specifically excludes international aviation and shipping emissions, demonstrating a focused approach to domestic emissions reduction.
Sir Keir Starmer released his climate goal today
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Starmer emphasised that the UK would continue building on its reputation as a climate leader while ensuring the transition remains manageable for the public.
The commitment was unveiled by Prime Minister Starmer during his visit to Baku, where he was accompanied by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
He said: “At this COP, I was pleased to announce that we’re building on our reputation as a climate leader, with the UK’s 2035 NDC target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels.”