‘It’s not either/or when it comes to economic growth and climate change’

It’s policies, not personalities, that matter in politics. The gossip around the leadership of the Labour Party will mean nothing to working-class people if there isn’t a change in economic and political strategy from the Party. At UNISON, we’ve been clear what those changes ought to be: fully restoring public sector pay; implementing the promised insourcing revolution and taxing extreme wealth to invest in our public services. 

But we also need to see the climate crisis back on the political agenda. Climate change denial is creeping into politics like never before, with far-right parties treating fossil fuels as a panacea for the country’s problems. Some Labour figures are even calling on the government to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea. Plundering the North Sea wouldn’t make a significant difference for working-class people in Britain, and it would be grossly irresponsible to working-class people in the Global South. 

Climate change is already affecting workers in our country. Rising temperatures are bad for public health, and are a major factor in driving up energy and food prices. Last week’s heatwave saw disruptions to public transport, and made the workplace extremely uncomfortable for many public service workers. It’s feared that forecasts of a ‘super El Niño’ in 2026 and 2027 will bring further extremes, with the possibility that next year may be another heatwave hell.

READ MORE: ‘The heat is on. And Labour must embed national preparedness across society’

Meanwhile, in the Global South, the consequences of climate change are devastating: droughts, floods and hurricanes – condemning millions of workers’ to poverty. Globally, around 2.4 billion workers are now exposed to excessive heat – causing thousands of heat-related deaths each year, along with millions of injuries.

While Reform UK embraces climate denial, and the Conservatives disown their own climate targets, Labour is in real danger of embracing its own form of denial. Drilling for more oil and gas would only serve fossil fuel vultures, not the working-class that Labour was established to represent. 

An important climate test is coming up for the Labour government: whether to approve drilling of Rosebank – Britain’s largest undeveloped oil field. UNISON is one of ten trade-unions who are urging Labour to reject this application. Ministers should focus on supporting workers, and their communities, through the green transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy – not acquiescing to oil and gas companies.

A new Labour leader must also cease giving into Whitehall orthodoxies. They must stop the Treasury from blocking effective climate action and public investment. And they must show real leadership by removing the stranglehold of fiscal rules on public spending. If Labour politicians had taken a submissive attitude in the 1940s, we wouldn’t have an NHS or a welfare state today. 

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There’s also a dangerous belief in Whitehall that some sectors are vital for economic growth and, therefore, should be given a free pass to ignore their climate impact. One example is the government’s support for unlimited airport expansion, including at Heathrow. This would put millions of tonnes of carbon into the environment and cause irreparable damage to the local area, where people’s homes and places of worship would be demolished.

A new Labour Prime Minister must also make it clear that it’s not either/or when it comes to economic growth and climate change. With the right leadership and policies, we can do both. Averting the climate catastrophe through renewable energy offers us a chance to create a green industrial base, one which can grow the economy, improve public services and improve the lives of working-class people. 

Despite Labour’s current woes, there’s still a chance for the Party to regain popular support if it moves back to progressive policies and values. And it’s clear what a new leader must do: tax extreme wealth; ensure workers have a genuinely liveable wage, and support the public service we all rely on. Just as important is supporting the climate. To not do so would be a complete abandonment of Labour’s historic purpose.

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