On the first day of his visit to Glasgow, the Labour leader said the climate crisis is at a critical stage and the UK needs to show leadership, leadership from Boris Johnson
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Boris Johnson’s green revolution plans are in hot water as damaging figures reveal more than 75,000 green jobs have been lost under the Tories five-year reign.
ONS figures cited by Labour show a loss of 33,800 direct jobs and a further 41,000 jobs in the supply chain for the low carbon and renewable sectors between 2014 and 2019.
The sectors which experienced the sharp losses include solar power, onshore wind, renewable electricity and energy efficiency.
Sir Keir Starmer insists the Prime Minister cannot afford to “bluster” as we’ve had a “decade of broken promises on green jobs and climate action”.
On the first of his two day visit to Scotland, the Labour leader said: “Tackling the climate crisis must be at the heart of everything we do.
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“We are at a critical moment. In less than 100 days, COP26 will be over and our chance to keep the planet’s warming below 1.5 degrees will have either been grasped or abandoned.
“The UK must rise to this moment and lead by example. That means rapid action to create good, green jobs across the country. And it means a proper strategy to buy, make and sell more in Britain, to create good, unionised jobs in clean energy and through supply chains.
“Nobody here in the UK can afford for this issue to be yet another example of Boris Johnson bluster. We need real action now. It is time for a Green New Deal.”
Labour has called for £30bn in planned investment to be brought forward to support up to 400,000 jobs in manufacturing and low-carbon industries.
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It comes after Boris Johnson declined an invitation to hold talks with Nicola Sturgeon while in Scotland.
The Scottish First Minister had invited Mr Johnson to meet at her official Edinburgh residence, Bute House, to discuss the UK’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
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A spokesman from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “The data from 2019 and 2014 cannot be compared as there was a change in how the survey was conducted.
“In fact, ONS has concluded that the low carbon and renewable energy economy has remained stable.
“We have welcomed the recommendations put forward by the Green Jobs Taskforce, which are a big step forward in delivering the skilled workers and green jobs essential for the UK’s transition to net zero.”
