Labour calls for ‘Green New Deal
New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has taken to the stage as part of his party’s first conference under his stewardship and has argued the UK now requires the launch of a Green New Deal.
He opened his address to party members with calls for a sustained investment in ambitious climate policies in the years to come, with the lacklustre performance of schemes like the Green Deal held up as an example of how not to promote enhanced UK energy efficiency in the future.
Instead, Mr Corbyn stated that communities should be supported through investment in renewable energy development and energy conservation, as well as public investment in green infrastructure.
The new Labour leader argued that the UK must stand at the forefront of “an international movement to cut emissions and pollution”, and stressed the importance of ensuring adequate funding is being channelled into this area in the years ahead.
No stranger to controversy, Mr Corbyn was quick to attack the government’s track record on environmentalism and stated that support for low-carbon industries in the UK at present is waning and falling behind other major developed nations.
He also cited the closure of steelworks on Teesside and the selling off of the Green Investment Bank as examples of the lack of investment in sustainability in industry by the Tory government.
Looking forward, Mr Corbyn set out his vision for a New Green Deal, which would focus on tackling climate change around the world, but also place at its heart the interests of the British people at the forefront of future government planning.
