Starmer warned voters won't accept 'economic destruction' to reach net zero

Gary Smith said politicians have been «dishonest» about spending on climate goals. Photo: GMB/PA

Voters won't accept One of Britain's biggest unions has warned Sir Keir Starmer of «economic disruption» to reach net zero.

Gary Smith, general secretary of GMB, said the rush to abandoning oil and gas would be a disaster” and urged the Labor leader to rethink his environmental goals.

The debate about zero emissions the UK is legally required to achieve by 2050 has intensified since last month's surprise Tory victory in the Uxbridge by-election. last month. Labor blamed the backlash against the expansion of London's Ulez scheme for its defeat.

However, Sir Keir's party still plans to put the decarbonization program at the heart of its proposal in the next election, with a multi-billion dollar green prosperity plan designed to mimic Joe Biden's big spending on environmental policy.

Warning that politicians have been 'dishonest' about spending on climate targets, Mr Smith suggested that Labor risks losing its double-digit lead in the polls if it doesn't set the right tone on the issue.

» The danger is that if they get it wrong about oil and gas, how we heat our homes and how we provide electricity, it will turn into Ulez on steroids,” he told the Sunday Express.

“I think Labor made a mistake [at Uxbridge]. I think what they said was poorly thought out and I hope their position will change as they face the realities of the complexities and challenges of net zero. If the politicians don't listen, don't take the people with you, there will be a backlash and it will be to the right.»

Sir Keir Starmer plans to make decarbonization the centerpiece of Labour's proposal at the next general election. Photo: Ewen Butman/Anadolu Agency

Reform UK, a right-wing party led by Richard Tice, has called for a referendum on a target of zero by 2050. Last week, a number of Conservative supporters supported the call, but Rishi Sunak rejected the idea.

Reflecting on Sir Keir's plans to ban new oil and gas exploration licenses in the North Sea, Smith added: dry gas is a national security disaster.”

“I think there is a fundamental dishonesty at the heart of our policy about how complex energy is and how costly any transition would be. People are not going to put up with economic destruction to try to reach net zero.”

Sir Keir has sought to soften Labor's image on environmental issues following the high-profile destructive actions of climate activists including Greenpeace and Just. Stop oil in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, in an op-ed for The Times, he called Just Stop Oil's demands «despicable» and insisted he would work with the oil and gas giants to ensure a managed transition to net zero based on investment in new technologies such as carbon capture.

The Conservatives have sought to exploit the political divide and Grant Shapps, energy security secretary, said Labor's strategy would cause blackouts, while Mr Sunak vowed to achieve zero net income in a «proportional and pragmatic» way.