Labour pledges to create publicly owned energy company to ‘cut bills and create jobs’

Published

2 years ago

September 27, 2022

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Keir Starmer has announced that a Labour government will create Great British Energy – a new, publicly owned company that will generate renewable sources “to cut bills, create jobs and deliver energy independence”.

The role of GB Energy will be to provide additional capacity alongside the private sector, to establish the UK as a clean energy superpower and guarantee long term energy security, the Labour leader said.

Many European, Asian, and American countries have public generating companies, like EDF in France.

Keir Starmer delivers keynote speech – live updates

Delivering a keynote speech at the party conference in Liverpool, Sir Keir said the largest onshore wind farm in Wales is owned by Sweden, so “energy bills in Swansea are paying for schools and hospitals in Stockholm”.

He added: “The Chinese Communist Party has a stake in our nuclear industry. And five million people in Britain pay their bills to an energy company owned by France.

“Labour will set up Great British Energy within the first year of a Labour government.

“A new company that takes advantage of the opportunities in clean British power, because it’s right for jobs, because it’s right for growth, because it’s right for energy independence.”

A Labour party source told Sky News the hope is that GB Energy will “eventually be an EDF”.

The announcement builds on Labour’s commitment to make the UK a clean energy superpower by 2030 and create a National Wealth Fund to invest in British industry.

Sir Keir said Labour “will make sure that the public money we spend building-up British industry, spurs on private investment, stimulates growth… and the British people enjoy the returns”.

He added: “Labour won’t make the mistake the Tories made with North Sea oil and gas back in the 1980s, where they frittered away the wealth from our national resources.

“The road to net zero is no longer one of stern, austere, self-denial. It’s at the heart of modern, 21st century aspiration. Technology has turned everything on its head.

“Green and growth don’t just go together – they’re inseparable. The future wealth of this country is in our air, in our seas, and in our skies. Britain should harness that wealth and share it with all.

“British power to the British people.”

Conservatives ‘have ripped out the foundations of Britain’

The Labour leader’s speech came after days of financial market uncertainty driven by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget – something which he said the public should “not forgive and not forget”.

Sir Keir accused the Tories of chocking the aspirations of working people with their trickle-down economics approach, saying they crashed the pound and lost control of the economy “to give tax cuts to the rich”.

He said the Conservatives have harmed the UK over the last 12 years.

“They used to lecture us about fixing the roof when the sun was shining.

“But take a look around Britain, they haven’t just failed to fix the roof, they’ve ripped out the foundations, smashed through the windows and now they’ve blown the doors off for good measure,” he said.

Sir Keir said the problems don’t stop with the economy, saying there is “raw sewage in our rivers” and “backlogs everywhere”.

He went onto paint a picture of what the UK would look like under a Labour government, saying the cost of living crisis will be over, “clouds of anxiety have lifted”, services are where they are needed and the economy is stable while the NHS is “back in good health”.

Referencing a woman he met in Grimsby, he said people in the UK are surviving, not living, but under a Labour government, they would be “thriving not surviving”.

‘Party of homeownership’

In another policy announcement, Sir Keir said Labour wants to increase home ownership and will set a target of 70%, offering a new mortgage guarantee for first-time buyers to help more people get onto the housing ladder.

He also promised to make Brexit “work” – saying that is something voters won’t get from the Tories or SNP.

His condemnation of the SNP was well-received by the audience.

Sir Keir said Scotland’s success in the UK “is met with gritted teeth”.

“We can’t work with them, we won’t work with them, no deal under any circumstances,” he said.

He pledged to make a “fairer greener more dynamic Scotland” – in a “Labour Britain”.

‘Party of the centre ground’

Sir Keir finished his speech by echoing former leader and prime minister Tony Blair.

He said Labour is “the party of the centre ground – once again the political wing of the British people”.

He said: “Britain will get its future back, a country where aspiration is rewarded, where working people succeed.

“A force for good in the world, a clean energy superpower, a fairer, greener, more dynamic nation.

“This is my commitment to you. The national mission of the next Labour government.”

Sir Keir won no fewer than 10 standing ovations during his confident and assured 50-minute speech.

Speaking afterwards, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the speech showed how passionate he is, after suggestions from some quarters that he is boring and perhaps lacking in personality.

Sir Keir ‘exactly what we need’

The buoyant frontbencher was a supporter of former leader Jeremy Corbyn and is generally seen as more to the left of the party than Sir Keir – but she was insistent Labour is now the party of the centre ground and the party that can win an election.

“I think he’s exactly what we need in this country at the moment, someone who’s got very clear ideas, very good ethics,” she said.

And in a message to the Tory government, she added: “Do not completely trash our country before we take it over.”

Trade unions also praised the speech, with Frances O’Grady of the TUC calling it “inspirational” and UNSION saying a Labour government “can’t come soon enough”.

The speech was less well received by the SNP, who accused Labour of “turning into the Tories”.

And the Adam Smith Institute, a free market think tank said, it is not confident in Sir Keir’s plan for a national green energy company, saying previous attempts at state-owned energy “resulted in massive subsidies and taxpayer-funded bailout.”

The Conservatives also hit back at Sir Keir’s attack, saying there was nothing new in the speech “no matter how much he tries to emulate Tony Blair”.

“It is the Conservatives that are taking the bold action needed to get Britain moving and deliver more jobs and higher wages,” a spokesperson for the party said.

UK

Migrant deaths: Are we seeing new form of crime after rival group pushed their way on to boat?

Published

8 hours ago

April 23, 2024

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Migrant deaths: Are we seeing new form of crime after rival group pushed their way on to boat?

Plenty of people have died on small boats trying to cross the Channel. But this was different.

The people who perished in the waters off Wimereux died not just because of the greed of people smugglers, or the inadequacy of their boat. This is a story about violence.

What really killed these people was a hijacking, and by the increasingly dangerous and volatile atmosphere that lingers over the lives of migrants in northern France who are trying to get to Britain.

Often we have heard stories of feuds and of weapons being used between rival groups in camps. Now, it seems that a sense of violent rivalry has spread to the beaches.

We have been told extraordinary details of what happened in the moments before three men, a woman and a young girl died in the cold, dark waters within sight of the promenade.

There were, so we’re told, around 50 people who had paid for a place on board the boat and, as is normal with these crossings, helped to carry it down the beach in Wimereux before getting to the waterfront.

At this point, another group of people emerged from the shadows and pushed their way on to the boat, threatening those on board with sticks and taking over, a man in a balaclava manhandling the controls of the engine.

Nobody was thrown off but, as the vessel left the shore, it now had 112 people on board.

To put that into context, I would imagine these boats could probably safely accommodate a maximum of 20 people.

Normally, packed by smugglers, they leave northern France with around 50 or even 60 on board. Never have I heard of a boat having more than 100 people on board.

So with the boat presumably now desperately low in the water, horribly overloaded, unbalanced and, almost certainly, in the hands of someone with no experience of piloting a passenger vessel, it set off.

But the waters around here are treacherous, dotted with sandbars that the locals know, and the amateurs can’t see.

The wallowing dinghy hit one of them and shuddered to a halt, only a few hundred metres from the shore.

Some of the passengers stood up, either in shock or else to remonstrate. A couple fell into the water.

When the French authorities arrived, they took two people from the water and reported finding “several people” who were unconscious and in “grave difficulty”.

What’s clear is that the two people who went into the water drowned – believed to be the woman and the young girl.

What we don’t know is how the other three victims – three men who appear not to have left the boat – ended up dying.

The local authorities, when asked for more details, say they are investigating.

Host of questions to be answered

This begs important questions – are we seeing a new form of crime within the realm of people-smuggling?

Was this attack, where one group hijacks another group’s dinghy, a one-off, or the precursor to a new, and dangerous, form of conflict?

What will be the reprisals that follow? And – if they didn’t drown – how exactly did those people die within around 20 minutes of leaving shore?

None of this has escaped the notice of the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which is monitoring developments.

The NCA is surely aware that the very people who charged on to the boat are now in Britain, having refused to leave the vessel when the authorities were recovering the dead and injured, along with dozens of the original passengers, who now wanted to get off.

“These tragic events demonstrate just how dangerous these crossings are and the callous nature of those who organise them,” said a statement from the NCA.

“Our thoughts are with those affected. The NCA will be working with Kent Police and Border Force to support the French investigation into these deaths.”

UK

Violence breaks out at St George’s Day event in central London

Published

11 hours ago

April 23, 2024

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Violence breaks out at St George's Day event in central London

Violence has broken out at a St George’s Day event in central London.

The Metropolitan Police released footage showing a group of men – some draped in St George’s flags – clashing with officers in Whitehall.

At one point in the footage, a man appears to hit a police horse with an umbrella.

The Met had earlier warned that those attending the event were expected to include “far right groups and groups linked to football clubs travelling from elsewhere in the UK”.

Shortly after 2pm, the force posted on X: “The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.”

“There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall.

“When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.”

The disorder was broken up and the Met said there have been “no further incidents since that altercation”.

The Met earlier said an order was in force in Lambeth and Westminster giving officers the power to require the removal of face coverings after it said several people were seen to be wearing masks.

It added a Section 60 order was issued allowing police to ramp up stop and searches.

St George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April every year, honouring the patron saint of England.

UK

Photo of Prince Louis taken by Kate released to mark his 6th birthday

Published

11 hours ago

April 23, 2024

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Photo of Prince Louis taken by Kate released to mark his 6th birthday

A photo of Prince Louis taken by the Princess of Wales has been released to mark the young royal’s sixth birthday.

The image of a smiling Louis was shared on social media along with the caption: “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”

The photo was taken in the last few days in Windsor and is understood to be unedited.

It is understood William and Kate released the image as a way to thank those who sent good wishes while also protecting their privacy.

The same process – a deviation from the usual issuing of the pictures to the press in advance under an embargo – is expected to be followed for Princess Charlotte’s birthday in May.

The change in process is understood to be due to the unprecedented time the family is experiencing.

Photograph’s release breaks with tradition – but these are unprecedented times

A happy little boy smiling for his mum behind the camera, Prince Louis again looks every bit the fun, cheeky boy who has stolen the show at big royal events in recent years.

He is growing up fast, and we’re told the Prince and Princess of Wales are hugely grateful for the birthday wishes they’ve had as he turns six.

But unlike previous years, it wasn’t a given that we were going to see a new photograph of him. Usually, like clockwork, birthday photographs of the children are released, normally taken by the Princess.

But these are described as unprecedented times for them, with Kate being treated for cancer, and their heightened desire for privacy.

There would undoubtedly have been discussions about whether a new picture would just draw the spotlight back onto them, especially when you consider the furore over the last photograph they released for Mother’s Day.

On balance, they clearly decided they wanted to put something out on their social media as any parent would, an unedited picture taken by mum, but not release it to the media the night before as they have done previously.

At the moment, with everything they have going on, you can’t begrudge them for wanting to do things their way.

The past few months have been an eventful period for the family due to Kate and the King’s cancer diagnoses.

The Princess of Wales announced in March that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

Louis, meanwhile, was last seen in public on Christmas Day when the Royal Family made their traditional festive appearance on the King’s Sandringham Estate to walk to church.

The release of the photograph comes after Louis’ father, Prince William, resumed royal duties last week in his first public engagement since Kate’s cancer announcement.

The prince visited a food distribution charity, Surplus to Supper, in Surrey, where he saw how extra food from across the local area was redistributed to small community organisations.

Photos showed him getting busy in the kitchen at the charity’s hub in Sunbury Cricket Club as he made chilli con carne and chopped ingredients under the supervision of head chef Mario Confait.

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The 41-year-old heir to the throne was also pictured in a hi-vis vest joining volunteers in loading prepared meals into delivery vans.

The Prince of Wales then headed to Hanworth youth centre in west London which benefits from the organisation’s deliveries and unloaded the crates.

Earlier this month, William and his eldest son Prince George attended an Aston Villa football game together, in their first public outing since Kate’s cancer announcement.

William, Kate and their three children missed the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, following the news, despite attending last year.