Sunday shows: “We should go green for better lives,” Miliband says

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband made the case for a “renewables revolution”, highlighting that investing in new solar and wind energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, arguing that “we should go green for better lives”.

• Asked whether the aim of COP26, to keep global warming to 1.5C, has “slipped out of our reach”: “We’re way off where we need to be… That’s partly because, as you say Laura, the promises that were made in Glasgow were not kept.”
• On COP27: “It’s an imperfect process but it’s the best process we’ve got. You see, look, the point about the climate crisis is that it’s a global problem. We can’t solve it on our own.”
• On Sunak: “Rishi Sunak has sent out a message with his dithering about whether he would go and some of his policy agenda that Britain is out of the climate leadership business. Britain needs to be in the climate leadership business, Laura, for climate but also for energy bills, for energy security, for jobs. This is the opportunity of the future.”
• On Alaa Abd El-Fattah, the British human rights activist imprisoned in Egypt: “I will be raising this issue, I’m going to talk to the family before I go. This is a very, very serious situation… I’m going to make sure I raise it with the Egyptians while I’m there.”
• Put to him that he should not go to Egypt because of Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s imprisonment: “The right thing to do is to go and raise it, and then engage on these really important issues of climate, which is an existential issue facing the world.”
• On a green transition: “We should go green for better lives… Solar and wind power in Britain are nine times cheaper than fossil fuels. So saying no to that renewables revolution that we need isn’t good for bills, it drives up energy bills. Our world-leading commitment to get to 2030 zero-carbon power will actually cut bills by £93bn… Our plan for GB energy, a publicly owned energy company, will create jobs across our country. This is about jobs and wealth and opportunity.”
• Asked why GB energy is a good idea: “45% of our offshore wind assets are owned by foreign governments. Not foreign companies but foreign governments because all around the world you’ve got these countries that are recognising that if you have a domestic national champion in energy it can create the jobs in the supply chain for you, it can guarantee energy security for you and it can also ensure that you meet your commitments.”
• He added: “We’re going to be working with the private sector. This isn’t to replace the private sector. This is to partner with the private sector… It doesn’t duplicate, absolutely not, it compliments the private sector… It compliments it because it will drive private investment.”
• On climate change and “reparations” for worse-affected, poorer countries: “I don’t see it as about reparations and actually when you talk to lots of campaigners they don’t either. This is about the issue of so-called loss and damage. This is the fact that poorer countries are facing massive effects of climate change.”
• On the term “reparations”: “The terminology matters because lots of people are allergic to the term reparations.”
• He added: “This is about poorer countries on the frontline of the climate crisis… This is about global solidarity. Yes, we have some historical responsibility, but this is about global solidarity and it’s absolutely part of our aid commitment.”
• He added: “It’s morally right, Laura, but it’s also in our self interest too because if we don’t act and if we don’t help countries around the world we’re going to end up with the problems that countries face – in terms of refugees for example – coming back to us.”
• Put to him that China is among the countries asking for money: “I promise you, it’s not about giving money to China. That’s not what this is about. This is about countries like the Maldives, Pakistan and others.”

Sophy Ridge on Sunday

Ed Miliband told viewers that the allegation of bullying on the part of Gavin Williamson, and the claim that the Prime Minister was aware of the complaint before he appointed him, “calls into question Rishi Sunak’s judgement”.

• On the allegations: “It really calls into question Rishi Sunak’s judgement and the way he made decisions about his cabinet… What it says is that Rishi Sunak was making decisions simply in his own narrow short-term interest as far as the Conservative leadership was concerned – not the national interest.”
• On the culture in parliament: “Parliament has got a massive job to do to change our culture. I’m not denying to you that this might have happened at some point over the last two decades… But the point is that we’ve got to change
• On changing behaviours in parliament: “Parliament’s got to change and the example has got to be set from the top – and the point about this is that Rishi Sunak appears to have known that Gavin Williamson was engaging in this behaviour.”
• Asked whether he supports nurses going on strike: “Nobody wants to see a strike go ahead, including nurses, bur the truth is that this is born of incredibly frustration and dismay on the part of nurses about what has happened over the 12 years under this government.”
• On climate change: “Renewable power – solar, wind and other forms of zero-carbon energy – are cheaper than fossil fuels and this matter so much, Sophie, because it means that at home and abroad we need to be all in on those renewable and zero-carbon alternatives.”
• On the government maintaining its ban on new onshore wind: “That is driving up their bills. It’s already driven up their bills by something like £100. It will continue to drive up their bills by £15bn between now and 2030 if this ban remains in place. So the government is saying no to the cheapest, cleanest form of power.”
• Asked whether Labour will oppose new drilling licences in the North Sea: “We do oppose them… Wherever we get our gas from we pay the same price because the price is set on the European market. So this will make no difference to bills, firstly. Secondly, it will take years to come on stream. This is not cheap and it is not quick, either. And, thirdly, it drives a coach and horses through all the commitments we’re making on climate change.”
• Put to him that Keir Starmer’s commitment, that 100% of the UK’s power would be provided by renewables and nuclear by 2030 under Labour, is “unrealistic”: “It’s stretching and it is absolutely achievable.”
• On how Labour will do it: “It’s going to come from a combination of renewable power – absolutely crucial. You know, we’re going to double onshore wind, treble solar, quadruple offshore wind and that is absolutely doable. It’s been confirmed by outside experts… Nuclear, we have existing stations and we have Hinkley coming online… Storage will play an increasing role. So yes it’s stretching but we’ve got to do it. We can’t afford not to.”
• He added: “Our vision is of a country where people have better lives as a result of the green transition. For example, GB energy… will create jobs and wealth in Britain, Sophie. So my view on the green agenda is… it’s the ethical choice, it’s also the right economic choice. The right choice for quality of life. I think we can improve people’s quality of life as we go green.”

Oliver Dowden told viewers that “we have very big challenges with the health service” but said the government is “investing record sums into the NHS” and that the Prime Minister and Health Secretary have “got a grip across the board on this”.

On nurses voting to strike, he said the government has “well-oiled contingencies in place”. He said there would be an “impact” as a result of any strike and urged nurses to “resist going out on strike even if they have voted to do so”.

“I know these are difficult times, but we have already agreed quite considerable support for nurses,” he added.

The cabinet office minister said the government has got “robust resilience plans” to prevent power outages over the winter. He refused to comment on the scenarios set out by the National Grid but said the “extreme measures” are “unlikely”.

On onshore wind, the minister said the government is “not rowing back” and argued that the government is “not going soft on renewables”. “We made sure that local residents’s views are properly taken into account in respect of onshore wind,” he said. “Actually, you can get huge amount of renewables from offshore.”

Dowden refused to say whether taxes will rise in the autumn statement. He warned that there will be “difficult decisions” in the statement, however, and said the government will “bear down on spending”.