GMB slams Labour’s green power plans

Louise Frohlich
Written By
Maximilian Schwerdtfeger
Reviewed By
Published on 19 June 2024
  • GMB urges Labour to drop unviable pledge of net-zero electricity generation by 2030
  • Union claims plans could cause blackouts and power cuts
  • Group still backs Labour’s manifesto, despite concerns
Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary

The GMB tried to “persuade the Labour Party to drop its commitment to net zero electricity generation by 2030″ – Credit GMB

The GMB union has described Labour’s 2024 election manifesto net-zero goals as “unviable” and said they risk harming the UK economy.

The commitment to deliver 100% clean power to Britain by 2030 has been met with backlash, and the GMB said it could result in “power cuts and blackouts”.

At the annual GMB conference in Bournemouth, Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said it would be “a huge mistake to put all the nation’s eggs in one energy basket”.

The GMB represents over half a million workers, including those in the oil and gas industry, whose jobs would be threatened with the arrival of Great British Energy.

The unions claims that in 2023, it tried to persuade the Labour Party to “drop its commitment to net zero electricity generation by 2030 on the grounds that it was simply not viable”.

A motion passed at this year’s conference said that Sir Keir Starmer needs to “put before the electorate a viable plan” for net zero electricity generation.

“This is a critical issue,” the GMB’s motion said.

“The reputation of the Labour Party for competent government will be destroyed if there are avoidable power cuts and blackouts because the leadership didn’t heed the advice of the congress of a major affiliated energy union and a founder member of the Labour Party.”

“And if they were to achieve it, it would either be through enormous costs, or it would risk blackouts in this country.”

Despite doubts over the net zero plans, GMB praised the rest of Labour’s manifesto, saying it offers “a vision of hope for the UK”.

“Now is the time to make sure Labour wins the election and the legislation is delivered.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Many people are paying far too much for their energy bills, businesses are paying far too much for their energy bills, because what we want is Great British Energy – as we say – a publicly owned company, that will not generate energy, that will rush towards renewables which will be cheaper.”

In response to the manifesto, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, said, “They

[Labour]

are pretending they can decarbonise the grid by 2030, a target which no other major economy has.

Starmer also described Coutinho’s claims as “utter nonsense,” and the “daily dose of desperation from the Tories”.

Written by

Louise Frohlich

Louise joined The Eco Experts as Editorial Assistant in April 2004. She is a talented artist who has a keen interest in solutions that lead to a more environmentally-friendly future.

Louise graduated from the University of Winchester in 2022 and went on to write for The Eco Experts sister site, Expert Reviews. She has taken part in charity expeditions to Ecuador and Uganda to help build water pipes, promote environmental cleanup initiatives and implement sustainable farming techniques. She now uses her knowledge to help readers make more eco-friendly choices.

Alongside her passion for the environment she enjoys theatre, portraiture and Egyptology.

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Reviewed By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express. In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International. He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment. Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa. As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals. His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive. Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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