Starmer to stress jobs at the heart of clean energy plans amid union backlash

Keir Starmer will today stress that jobs will be at the heart of Labour’s energy plans – in a clear attempt to assuage concerns raised by union leaders. In a speech to GMB congress – whose general secretary Gary Smith has hit out at the party’s plan to block all new domestic oil and gas projects – the Labour leader is expected to say his party is “thinking jobs” when it comes to its mission to make Britain a “clean energy superpower” (further details of which will be set out next week, Starmer will reveal). “Jobs – good, union jobs – will be fundamental to cleaner, safer work, new and better infrastructure for Britain,” Starmer will tell attendees. “As new nuclear, battery factories and offshore wind repower Britain, Labour will build strong supply chains that create jobs, new skills and decent wages here in Britain. We will work with you and with industry to seize the opportunities of hydrogen, carbon capture and storage.”

The backlash against Labour’s plans for oil and gas has grown in recent days, with Smith doubling down on his criticism in his own speech to GMB congress, declaring that it would be a “huge mistake to put all the nation’s eggs in one energy basket”. Unite – another of Labour’s affiliated unions – has also raised concerns, with general secretary Sharon Graham warning that Labour “must now be very clear that they will not let workers pay the price for the transition to renewable energy”. Speaking on Monday, Starmer sought to reassure union leaders, arguing that oil and gas “will be part of our energy mix for many, many years to come”. The ongoing row comes amid rumours that some in Labour are starting to get cold feet about the scale of the party’s green transition plans, specifically its flagship commitment to put £28bn of capital investment towards the transition for each year of this decade. According to the Financial Times, some party figures are starting to wonder if the plan is still affordable, given increased borrowing costs and the need to invest in public services. A party source said Labour remained committed to its green prosperity plan, but notably added the proviso “in line with our fiscal rules”.

Labour also continues to be at odds with some of its affiliated unions over the decision to exclude Jamie Driscoll from the longlist to be the Labour candidate for the new North East mayoralty. The Fire Brigades Union condemned the move as an “utter disgrace” in a statement last night and demanded it be reversed, arguing that the decision came “amongst a long list of anti-democratic manoeuvres by the Labour leadership”. LabourList has published an interview with the sitting North of Tyne mayor – conducted before the announcement of his exclusion but including some follow-up questions. In it, Driscoll claims that “most people aren’t comfortable with Labour HQ deciding on candidates in the North East”, telling us: “I’m not asking for special treatment, just for a chance for members in the region to make their own minds up.”

In other news, Labour MP for Knowsley George Howarth has announced he is standing down at the next election after more than 30 years service. In a note to his local Labour Party, the MP said it had been a “great privilege and an enormous honour” to represent the area in which he grew up. Meanwhile, Sue Gray could take up the role of Starmer’s chief of staff as soon as the autumn, according to the Times, which reports that the advisory committee on business appointments has recommended the former senior civil servant should take just six months’ gardening leave. There had been reports that the committee could conclude that Gray’s appointment should be postponed for up to two years – scuppering Starmer’s plans to draw on her expertise in a potential transition to government. And in selections, voting closes at 11:59pm tonight in the contest for the new seat of Merthyr Tydfil and Upper Cynon, which pits frontbencher Gerald Jones against Socialist Campaign Group MP Beth Winter.