Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer will promise on Friday to “start work within months to build clean energy across the UK” if his party wins the general election.
At an event in Scotland – and accompanied by Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar – the aspiring prime minister will reiterate his plans for Great Britain Energy, first announced at party conference in 2022.
Based north of the border, the new public company will generate local green energy across the country, with the party claiming it will help “turn the page” on the cost of living crisis by reducing bills.
But the Conservatives claimed it was a “vanity project” by former Labor leader – and now shadow energy security secretary and net zero emissions secretary – Ed Miliband, who will “leave taxpayers to foot the bill”.
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Sir Keir will outline how initial investments will be made within weeks, including in wind and solar projects, and as the company grows, will look at floating offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture and storagehoping to make Scotland “a world leader in cutting-edge technologies”.
The party said the promise would be paid for through an extraordinary tax on oil and gas companies.
Sir Keir will say: “Family financial security depends on energy security. The pain and misery of the cost of living crisis was directly caused by the Tories’ failure to make Britain resilient, leaving us at the mercy of fuel markets fossils controlled by dictators like Put in.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Our clean energy mission with Great British Energy will take back control of our destiny and invest in cheap, clean local energy that we control.
“Let’s turn the page on the cost of living crisis. The choice in this election is clear – higher bills and energy insecurity with the Tories, or lower bills and energy security with Labour.”
But Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho said the project was unfunded and would “turn off the taps to North Sea oil and gas”, risking 2,000 jobs.
“By following the Conservatives’ clear plan, energy bills are at their lowest point since 2022,” he added. “But we must go further.
“That’s why we are taking bold action to future-proof the energy price cap as we support new nuclear and offshore wind, keeping bills low and ensuring families are not burdened with the cost of achieving net zero.”
Rishi Sunak and Claire Coutinho will argue that the Conservatives are best placed to cut energy bills. Photo: Reuters
The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, gave an even bleaker assessment of the plan, claiming it “threatened to destroy 100,000 Scottish jobs and deter billions of pounds of investment”.
He added: “The fact is that Starmer’s plans would harness Scotland’s energy wealth and spend it on nuclear projects in England.
“In contrast, the SNP wants every penny spent in Scotland – reducing household bills, creating jobs in Scotland and securing our green energy future.
“No wonder the Labor Party has given up campaigning in the North East and large swathes of Scotland – because Starmer knows how deeply unpopular his damaging policies are.”
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Great British Energy gained support from a campaign group, Britain Remade, which called it “extremely welcome”.
But its founder, Sam Richards, warned that Labor “will not be able to put its swords in the ground as quickly as it needs to – unlocking the benefits of cheap energy and lower bills – unless it tackles Britain’s outdated planning system head on.” .
Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth also called the plan “great news” but warned the Labor Party not to “rest on its laurels” when it comes to reducing carbon pollution from transport and heating.
Elsewhere in Friday’s campaign, the Conservatives will talk about tackling anti-social behaviour, revealing plans to give fly-tippers points on their driver’s licenses“evict” anti-social tenants and implement policing controls in “hotspots”.
And the SNP will make further demands on Labour, calling on them to maintain an emergency budget straight after the election to “reverse Tory austerity cuts, increase NHS funding and invest in economic growth”.
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