Sir Keir Starmer tells private sector to ‘start paying their fair share’ on global climate change
The prime minister has encouraged companies to start spending money on global climate change as he heads to the COP summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
On the trip to the Caspian coast, Sir Keir spoke to journalists travelling with him.
He was asked if the UK – which the government says is struggling financially – would commit to spending new money on helping developing countries with climate change.
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There have been calls for a $1tn (£777bn) financing agreement to help less wealthy nations reduce emissions and meet other targets.
Sir Keir told journalists his government would honour the monetary promises made at a previous COP summit under the Conservative government.
This current meeting – COP29 – will then “want to look at a future [climate finance] sum taking us through to 2035, but we’re not making UK commitments in relation to that”, he said.
Sir Keir added: “I will be making an argument powerfully that now is the time for the private sector to start paying their fair share in relation to these commitments.”
As part of this, a new “capital market mechanism” will be launched on the London Stock Exchange, with Downing Street hoping it will raise £75bn for green investment over the next decade.
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Sir Keir and the government want to take advantage of the surge in green investment as part of their economic growth strategy.
He told reporters he has been clear the “climate challenge” is a “huge opportunity for the UK if we get it right”.
“That is why we have made it one of our missions to have clean power by 2030, and if you look at the inward investment that we have triggered in the last four months, a huge amount of that is on renewables – that is where global investors want to put their investment.
“So I see climate change as an important obligation on which we’ve got to show leadership, but it’s also an incredible opportunity for the UK to get ahead on the world stage, and I am determined we are going to do that.”
Downing Street believes the UK can act as a green financial hub, and use that to bring investment, jobs and growth.
One report suggested the “green economy” grew by 9% last year, while the rest of the UK stagnated, and business urged a pro-green industrial strategy.
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The new government has started approving more projects like onshore windfarms and solar farms.
Increasing growth is key to the plan of Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves – but their plans may be difficult to achieve if the economy does not expand at the rate they hope.
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Politics
Starmer’s team ask Labour MPs to remove names from rebel amendment that could bring down welfare bill
Cabinet ministers have been asking Labour MPs to take their name off a rebel amendment to the government’s controversial welfare bill, Sky News can reveal.
In an attempt to quell the mounting rebellion of more than 100 MPs across all wings of the party, cabinet ministers were instructed to ring around the signatories of the amendment in a bid to get them to back the welfare cuts ahead of a planned vote next Tuesday.
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Two Labour MPs said they had been asked if they would take their names off the amendment, while one was asked if they would be prepared to abstain on the bill next week.
One Labour MP said: “‘The more they tell people to take their names off, the more names are added on.”
Others were also told their actions could provoke a fresh leadership challenge and that they were aligning themselves with Nigel Farage in a bid to get them to back down.
“I had a conversation with a senior cabinet member yesterday who basically said if the government is defeated next week it will trigger a leadership contest,” a Labour MP said.
“I can see how that might be the case but I would argue if that’s where we end up it’s because the government have allowed that to happen. The ball is very much in their court.
“By and large the rebels do not want this to be about leadership. We just want to government to listen.”
Another added that while they had not received a call from a cabinet minister, they knew “some colleagues are being told there will be a leadership challenge or a general election which is utter nonsense”, adding: “Everything is all over the place.”
The amendment, if passed, would effectively kill the government’s welfare reforms by failing to give it a second reading in the Commons.
It calls for a delay to the £5bn package to assess the impact of cuts to personal independence payments (PIP) and expresses concerns about the government’s own figures showing 250,000 people could be pushed into poverty – including 50,000 children.
The fact the amendment was tabled by Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury select committee, with the support of 12 other select committee chairs, has alarmed Downing Street – as has the sheer scale of the rebellion.
At least 123 Labour MPs have signed the public amendment, but Sky News understands more names are likely to appear in the coming days.
While Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, have insisted the vote will go ahead next Tuesday, the decision to instruct cabinet ministers to call around colleagues suggests the government is concerned about potentially losing the vote.
‘The government is not listening’
A Labour MP who signed the amendment said most rebels wanted the government to pause the proposals pending a proper consultation.
They said the fact that the text of the bill had been published before the consultation had closed was proof the government was “not listening”.
Another MP said they had raised concerns that if constituents are moved from PIP to universal credit they could potentially exceed the benefits cap, which could disproportionally hit those living in cities where the cost of living is higher.
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“I can’t look at my constituents and say I’m confident this won’t negatively affect them,” they said.
The MP also criticised the government’s approach to keeping MPs on side, saying it had failed to make the case for reform consistently.
“The engagement stopped after the initial flurry of bad press. Now there is a small amount of activity before the vote. Ministers need to be out there; the PM needs to be out there.”
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Starmer faces welfare rebellion
Despite the growing rebellion, the prime minister has indicated he is not willing to offer concessions on the government’s welfare plans.
Asked by reporters at the NATO summit in the Netherlands if he was willing to make changes to the bill, Sir Keir said: “We have got to make the reforms to our system. It isn’t working as it is.
“It doesn’t work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection. It is broken.
“We were elected in to change that which is broken, and that’s what we will do, and that’s why we will press ahead with reforms.”
Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
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