Energy & Climate
9 July 2024
The King’s Speech to both Houses of Parliament on 17 July was part of the State Opening of Parliament ceremony that begins at the start of a parliamentary session.
While read by the King, it is written by the government and outlines its objectives and proposals for the coming year.
After 14 years of Conservative government, TUC welcomed the new government’s commitment in the King’s Speech to establish Great British Energy as a ‘publicly owned energy production company which will own, manage and operate clean power projects up and down the country.’
The new government’s Bill will establish GB Energy to ‘develop, own and operate assets’ and to ‘take a stake for the British people in projects and supply chains which accelerate technologies of the future, reaping benefits at home in cheap clean power and securing Britain at the front of the global race for technology.’
Greenpeace UK also commended the speech, noting that ‘Keir Starmer has hit the ground running.’
‘From powering up GB Energy to moving towards bringing the railways back into public ownership, the Prime Minister is wasting no time in setting in motion the bold, progressive change his government promised to tackle the climate emergency.
‘GB Energy and Great British Railways should help slash emissions from the most polluting sectors in society, as well as curbing spiralling costs for bill payers and commuters in the long term. But for the government to get on and deliver the cheap power, warm homes, trains, buses and clean rivers we all desperately want, it should invest, invest, invest. Only then can they deliver the green jobs of tomorrow, cut our bills for good and allow nature to flourish.
‘While it’s great to see momentum on the energy transition, this speech was thin on protecting nature. The most glaring omission was any mention of the Global Ocean Treaty which would help protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. This is a big disappointment given Labour committed to ratifying this vital UN agreement during its election campaign. Ministers must now introduce new primary legislation – or risk jeopardising the UK’s global leadership on ocean protection.
‘Overall, this King’s Speech is a world away from what was put forward last year and marks a significant step change in political leadership on climate. But more leadership is still needed on ocean protection, which is hugely popular with voters and vital for the resilience of our planet.’REBECCA NEWSOM
Greenpeace UK’s head of politics
Britain’s peers in Europe all have publicly owned energy generation companies – France has EDF, Denmark has Orsted, Sweden has Vattenfall. The city of Munich’s energy company owns a wind farm off the coast of Wales.
Now finally, a UK government will set up a public energy generating champion that can make the country richer, create good jobs and cut carbon emissions.
A publicly owned energy company could help dramatically expand the UK’s supply of clean power – such as offshore wind, tidal, and nuclear.
‘Becoming a clean energy superpower is a high aim for the new Labour government, but it is not an insurmountable task. It has promised £8.3bn over the course of the next parliament to help achieve this through the much anticipated GB Energy.
‘Investment from the company into renewables will undoubtedly be helped along by the expected planning reforms and reversal of the effective ban on new onshore wind. However, a little under a third of UK energy generation last year came from renewable sources, there is a long way to go to become an clean energy super power, and the initial budget to help us get there is relatively modest. It is also heavily reliant on the private sector stepping up and investing alongside the government, and there is some question over whether the government is stumping up enough to stimulate the further investment that is needed.’
NIAMH O REGAN
Researcher at the Social Market Foundation
TUC says that a public clean power champion could boost domestic investment, make the UK a global leader in zero carbon technology, and make the country energy independent.
It can play an important role in delivering a Just Transition for high-carbon workers during the transition to Net Zero.
‘The King’s Speech recognised that publicly owned energy companies work. Across Europe they have lowered household bills and delivered good jobs.
‘But energy privatisation in UK has fed foreign firms’ profits and subsidised cheaper bills abroad, while British households have struggled to heat their homes and pay their bills.
‘The new Labour Government is taking a common-sense approach. Those who own and invest into the future end up better off.
‘Setting GB Energy up to build new clean power can create good jobs, speed up climate action and make the UK better-off.’PAUL NOWAK
TUC general secretary
However, Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, noted that in over 30 Bills, ‘the government failed to mention the environment once, and for all of us looking to hear about single-use plastic, the silence spoke volumes.’
‘For a new government that continually talks about the need to kick start the economy, it is remiss to ignore the financial, as well as the environmental costs, of plastic. Marine litter costs the ports and harbour industry approximately £2.1 million per year whilst local authorities spend approximately £15 million each year on the removal of beach litter.
“For the sake of our environment and the economy, Labour must show a real commitment to the circular economy. By allowing plastic to leak into our economy the government is pouring money down the drain. Turning off the plastic tap is an investment in the health of citizens, the environment and businesses across the country.’JANE MARTIN
CEO of City to Sea
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet and PlasticFree, also remarked that pervasive plastic pollution ‘was notably amiss during today’s speech’, despite the fact the King once declared we are ‘poisoning ourselves’ with plastic.
‘The Labour Party once proposed a gold standard circular economy, but now they are prioritising a zero-waste economy, using the terms interchangeably. While both approaches recognise the failure of our current linear, take-make-waste system, a circular economy focuses on closing the loop and redesigning products upstream, rather than just managing the toxic debris at the bottom of it. With no sight of any action to turn off the plastic tap, we are allowing the floodgates to remain open.
‘First impressions count. The Labour Party must remember the high expectations set by the public and note the mistakes made by the Conservatives. Plastic is old economy and will never be circular. We are on the brink of an extraordinary materials revolution and our government needs to champion this for the UK. The planet, the country, the economy AND the health of its people will reap the rewards.’
SIAN SUTHERLAND
Co-founder of A Plastic Planet and PlasticFree
Animal protection NGO Cruelty Free International was disappointed by the government’s failure to include its manifesto pledge to plan the phase-out of animal testing in the King’s Speech.
Christopher Hammond, chief executive of UK100 – the UK’s only cross-party network of local leaders committed to ambitious climate action – noted that, with 40 bills announced, the King’s Speech ‘shows a government determined to make good and move quickly on its promise of change.’
He added that, while ‘it’s good to see a clear and confident thread of climate action throughout’, the speech failed to tackle local climate action.
Christopher Hammond also notes that ‘local leaders support Labour’s planning reform and clean energy missions but want to see a role for local authorities and communities.’ ‘The English Devolution Bill represents a generational opportunity to connect devolution and climate action to deliver economic growth. Devolving power is welcome, but without integrating climate action from the outset, it doesn’t give a clear enough steer for councils to align with the Government’s national missions.
‘UK100 and our network of local leaders stand ready to work with Ministers to ensure climate action is at the heart of this transformative legislation.’
CHRISTOPHER HAMMOND
Chief executive of UK100
Poll: Almost half of voters in constituencies lost by the Tories think that Sunak was wrong to weaken climate commitments.
‘This landslide victory has buried Sunak’s divisive anti-green agenda once and for all’.
Surfers Against Sewage’s UK tour puts sewage pollution at the heart of election debate.
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