The Conservative Party's shadow energy secretary refused to commit to a timeline for reaching Net Zero after her party pledged to abandon the 2050 target. Claire Coutinho faced questioning about the Tories' climate policy direction during a BBC interview on Sunday.
Coutinho defended scrapping the legally binding target, arguing current policies work against decarbonisation goals. "We think decarbonisation is not a bad thing, I think caring about pollution is important, but at the moment, the targets are actually pulling you in the wrong direction," she said on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
The senior Conservative explained that electrification should be the focus rather than specific targets. "If you want to decarbonise, the thing you have to do is get people to use electric products, cars, home, heating, industry, to electrify their machinery. So we don't have a target," she said.
Admission of rising emissions
Coutinho acknowledged that scrapping the 2050 pledge would lead to increased domestic carbon emissions. "So emissions would go up domestically but I would argue not necessarily globally," she told the BBC's Political Thinking With Nick Robinson podcast this week.
She argued that UK climate law focuses on domestic emissions without accounting for how higher domestic carbon output might reduce emissions from imports into the UK. These import emissions are not currently measured under existing legislation.
Government unveils jobs strategy
The Government published its first national plan to address skills shortages in clean energy sectors on Sunday. Ministers outlined how they will deliver more than 400,000 additional jobs by 2030, doubling current opportunities in the sector.
Officials identified 31 priority occupations experiencing high demand, including plumbers, electricians and welders. Five technical excellence colleges will train workers specifically for clean energy roles under the new strategy.
Training programmes target multiple groups
Veterans will receive targeted support for careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine manufacturing and nuclear power stations. The Government will also launch tailored schemes for ex-offenders, school leavers and unemployed people.
Oil and gas workers can access up to £20 million in funding from UK and Scottish Governments for retraining in clean energy roles. The existing energy skills passport, which helps oil and gas workers transition to offshore wind, will expand to nuclear and electricity grid sectors.
Unions central to jobs drive
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said communities have demanded new industrial employment opportunities. "The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call - and today we publish a landmark national plan to make it happen," he said.
Trade unions will play a key role in the jobs strategy, with ministers recognising their importance in securing fair wages and working conditions. A new fair work charter between offshore wind developers and unions will ensure companies receiving public funding provide good wages and workplace rights.
The Government plans to extend employment protections currently enjoyed by offshore oil and gas workers to the clean energy sector. These protections include national minimum wage coverage for workers operating beyond UK territorial waters.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
