Sir Keir Starmer rejected Nigel Farage’s attacks on net zero as he pledged at the COP30 summit in Brazil that the Government would press ahead “full speed with the clean power revolution”.
The Prime Minister insisted that the shift to green energy will deliver hundreds of thousands of jobs for Britain and economic boosts in regions across the country.
But he has faced accusations that the Government is undermining UK businesses by having the most expensive industrial energy globally due to the country taking a lead in the drive to net zero.
In a speech at the world leaders’ gathering at the COP30 climate change summit in Belem, in the Amazon region of Brazil, the PM was due to defend his push for clean energy, with more onshore and offshore windfarms, as well as solar power farms, arguing that green power was “the economic opportunity of the 21st century”.
“Its full speed ahead in our mission to bring about the clean power revolution, delivering energy security, getting bills down for good and generating growth in communities across the UK,” he was stressing.
Highlighting some parts of the country that will benefit, he added: “Creating skilled, well-paid jobs across Great Yarmouth, Belfast and Greater Manchester, this is national renewal in action.”
The COP30 summit has a focus on saving rainforests, though Britain will not invest in a Brazilian-led initiative for more funding for these areas, as well as on ailing, if not already failed, attempts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
World leaders, global warming academics, campaigners and environmental groups will also discuss commitments made by countries to reduce climate change emissions and the progress they are making.
But the COP process has struggled to get sufficient commitments from the world’s worst polluters, including America, China and India, as well as many other countries, to cut emissions to reach the 1.5C target.
Donald Trump opposes the global drive to cut emissions agreed at the Paris 2015 climate conference.
Meanwhile, Prince William is on a five-day visit to Brazil, and will announce his Earthshot Prize, a global environmental competition to find solutions to “repair” the planet.
Sir Keir will join William at the awards ceremony where the prince will give a keynote speech, before both men gather with world leaders at the COP30 summit on Thursday.
As the globe warms up with more violent weather, including flooding and wildfires, and predictions they will get worse, Sir Keir was emphasising: “I won’t let down future generations.
“At COP30 I will continue to show UK leadership on the world stage to work with others to stand up for our values and our future.”
But Mr Farage has led opposition to the Government’s legally-binding net zero goals, which are also now opposed by Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives even though they were a landmark commitment made by Theresa May’s Tory government.
Mrs May announced in 2019 that Britain would eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050, making it legally binding with an amendment to the 2008 Climate Change Act.
The UK is a world leader on net zero with its 2035 target under the Paris Agreement to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels.
Mr Farage, though, stresses that net zero is “not my religion” and Reform UK has vowed to “scrap net zero and related subsidies”.
The party argues that net zero will “deindustrialise” Britain and that more than two million manufacturing jobs are under threat.
Mr Farage claims that axing net zero subsidies and extracting more North Sea oil and gas could cut household energy bills by £165 a year.
However, Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband argues that the only way to achieve Labour’s pledge to reduce bills by £300 is through the shift to clean energy, rather than relying on fossil fuels with their costs driven by international markets and events such as Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“Clean energy is the engine of Britain’s economic renewal,” he insists.
Ms Badenoch has rejected net zero goals, stating: “They are destroying more jobs than they are creating.
“We are bankrupting our economy. Oil and gas is disappearing, manufacturing is disappearing.”
