Friday, February 09, 2024
Have Labour abandoned the fuel poor?
One of the consequences of Labour's u-turn on spending £28bn a year to tackle climate change is that its plans to insulate millions of homes have been drastically scaled back.
As the Independent reports, plans to cut energy bills by giving 19 million people warmer homes in a decade could now take up to 14 years to achieve, with Labour now promising only to kit out 5 million properties by 2030.
The party is now set to spend £23.7bn over the course of the next five-year parliament, on top of the £10bn a year it says the government has already committed to.
Sir Keir and his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, have come under fire for the climbdown, which a former adviser to Tony Blair, John McTernan, said was “probably the most stupid decision the Labour Party’s made”.
A member of Sir Keir’s shadow cabinet also told The Independent the U-turn had been “handled dreadfully” and now risked distracting from two potentially disastrous by-elections for Rishi Sunak next week.
Helping poorer people cut their energy bills by insulating their homes is, of course, a major contributor to any policy to tackle fuel poverty. Instead, millions will continue to struggle to pay for their gas and electricity.
As the Independent reports, plans to cut energy bills by giving 19 million people warmer homes in a decade could now take up to 14 years to achieve, with Labour now promising only to kit out 5 million properties by 2030.
The party is now set to spend £23.7bn over the course of the next five-year parliament, on top of the £10bn a year it says the government has already committed to.
Sir Keir and his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, have come under fire for the climbdown, which a former adviser to Tony Blair, John McTernan, said was “probably the most stupid decision the Labour Party’s made”.
A member of Sir Keir’s shadow cabinet also told The Independent the U-turn had been “handled dreadfully” and now risked distracting from two potentially disastrous by-elections for Rishi Sunak next week.
Helping poorer people cut their energy bills by insulating their homes is, of course, a major contributor to any policy to tackle fuel poverty. Instead, millions will continue to struggle to pay for their gas and electricity.
Not a good look for a party supposedly committed to social justice.
