London,November 2019-(Amanjit Singh Khaira)-
The Labour Party have announced plans to kickstart the largest programme of capital investment in the UK since post-war reconstruction – bringing almost all of the UK’s 27 million homes to the highest energy efficiency standards feasible and taking on the hugely challenging task of decarbonising the UK’s heating system. This will reduce the UK’s total emissions by 10%.
Labour’s proposals will bring household bills down by an average of £417 per household per year by 2030 and eradicate the vast majority of fuel poverty by the mid-2020s, meaning 1,500 excess winter deaths will be avoided. They will also create an estimated average of 256,650 new good, unionised construction jobs throughout the 2020s, and the creation of a further 203,000 indirect jobs.
Labour also plan to undertake the hugely challenging task of decarbonising the UK’s heating system by overseeing a mass rollout of domestic renewable and low carbon energy appliances like solar PV panels, solar thermal systems and electric heat pumps.
The Government’s flagship programme for energy efficiency, which tasks private suppliers with delivering energy saving measures, has failed spectacularly, with domestic energy efficiency measures having fallen 95% since 2012.3 This is because the Tories have relied on energy suppliers - who profit from selling energy – to deliver measures meant to reduce energy demand. Labour will avoid these problems by tasking its new, public Regional Energy Agencies with programme delivery. REAs will adopt a street-by-street delivery model, starting with low-income households, to ensure the effective targeting of the fuel poor, and to exploit economies of scale.
Faisal Rashid, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Warrington South, said:
“The next Labour Government will lead the world in tackling the climate and environmental emergency. We are turning the climate movement’s demands into a radical, credible plan to kick start a Green Industrial Revolution that will transform our economy.
“Since my election in 2017, I have been a staunch advocate of bold, radical environmental policies which tackle our climate crisis head on. Our children cannot afford business as usual – we must act.
“These plans create good jobs, eradicate fuel poverty and save the average household £417 a year – all while building a greener society for our future’s sake. We’ll all benefit from a Labour Government, not just the privileged few.”
