- Environmental group says Labour’s plans lack detail
- Farming and upgrading homes are areas where party is lacking in clarity
- Greens’ investment plans mean they top Greenpeace’s ranking
Greenpeace have called on the Labour party to commit more to net zero
– Credit: Greenpeace
The Labour Party’s manifesto is missing crucial details on how it will fund the UK net zero strategy and has not set out exactly how it will cut consumers’ energy bills, according to industry experts and green groups.
After analysing the environmental plans of each party, Greenpeace says the Labour’s plans do not commit to the “scale of funding needed” for greener farming, cheaper public transport, or to upgrade homes.
The parties scored on Climate & Energy, Nature & Environment, Homes and Transport and Justice and Democracy on a scale of 1-10.
Unsurprisingly, the Green Party ranked highest for Climate & Energy and Nature & Environment, scoring a perfect 10 for both.
The Labour Party were joint-second with the Liberal Democrats for Climate & Energy with 6.5, but they trailed behind for Nature & Environment with a score of 5, behind the Liberal Democrats.
Also unsurprisingly, the Conservatives’ ranked last for both, scoring just 1.5 in each.
The scores reflect the difference in spending committed by each party. The Green Party has promised to spend £40 billion to decarbonise the economy, including £12.4 billion to train the workforce in the green economy and £19 billion in electrification of the railways.
Labour’s plans hinge on its pledge to launch the £8.3 billion Great British Energy, a national energy company, and spend an extra £6.6 billion on helping people make their homes more energy efficient.
Greenpeace praised Labour’s plans to commit to the internationally agreed upon target to cut emissions by two-thirds by 2030 and their promise to empower local authorities to deliver a green transition through improved public transport and nature conservation.
It also welcomed the party’s intention to reduce the UK’s dependence on oil and gas and to boost the renewable energy sector.
However, it warned that if elected, Labour will need much bolder plans to “ensure the UK’s domestic and global environmental targets are met” so it can “fully reap the massive economic rewards offered by the green transition”.
Greenpeace UK’s head of politics Rebecca Newsom, said the Labour Party had set out a “clear vision” for clean energy and helping to tackle the climate crisis,
Newsom said the party’s plans were in stark contrast to the Conservatives’ plans which would deliver “more fossil fuels, more toxic air pollution and more climate-wrecking emissions that will hit the poor the hardest.”
Friends of the Earth’s head of policy Mike Childs, said that Labour must develop more policies on top of those in its manifesto and have a “robust strategy” for funding measures to make farming and housing greener.
“If growth is the party’s mantra, then it must seize the many opportunities that action on climate and nature present – such as lower bills, hundreds of thousands of new jobs in clean industries, a healthier, more prosperous economy and a safer future for us all,” Childs said.
