Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho takes furious aim at Labour's 'mad' net zero plan

Labour’s net zero plans could leave a generation of oil and gas workers “stranded” before the next generation of jobs is created, Claire Coutinho has warned.

The Energy Secretary said that Sir Keir Starmer’s goal to convert Britain to clean power by 2030 would leave Britain reliant on Chinese materials.

Sir Keir has committed to decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030 - five years earlier than the Tories.

Coutinho said: “Labour’s mad plans to decarbonise the grid in just six years’ time will not only strangle British supply chains and put 200,000 jobs at risk, but also hike bills for hardworking families across the country.

“By sticking to the Conservatives’ clear and pragmatic plan, energy bills are at their lowest in two years. We’re the only party backing the North Sea, protecting thousands of jobs and communities in the process. Our approach will always be to prioritise cheap energy and help families make decisions that work for them - not burden them with extra costs and taxes like Labour.”

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out introducing new green levies on bills.

The Labour leader repeated his pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. But he refused to rule out introducing new green levies on bills

Richard Holden, Conservative Party Chairman, said: “Stealth Tax Starmer has opened the door to higher energy bills under Labour by not following our clear plan to slash green levies and put cash back into people’s pockets.

“After being bounced into scrapping their plan to hike VAT, Keir Starmer is desperately scrambling to fill Labour’s £38.5 billion black hole.

“Be under no illusion – Labour will have to raise taxes by £2,094 for every household to pay for their unfunded spending plans, taking us back to square one. Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan and are taking bold action to drive down energy bills by protecting the Energy Price Cap and ensuring green levies are lower each year of the next parliament.”

Labour plans to create a publicly-owned company called Great British Energy.

The firm would be headquartered in Scotland, where much of the UK's oil, gas and offshore wind industries are based.

Labour would fund the company through a windfall tax on oil and gas firms, which they said would raise £8.3billion over the next five years.

Great British Energy would invest in wind and solar projects, as well as new technologies including floating offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.

Sir Keir said Labour was not planning to "turn the pipes off instantaneously", adding oil and gas would be part of the UK's "energy mix for decades to come".

He added that “we have to make the transition” away from fossil fuels, but this could bring new jobs to Scotland that would "last for decades”.

The majority of voters from all parties, including Reform and the Conservative Party, back a cross-party consensus on the need to tackle climate change.

A poll for the Conservative Environment Network found 82 percent of Conservative voters want a consensus on tackling climate change, with only 11 percent opposed.