Sir Keir Starmer wants to speed up the development of offshore wind farms. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Archives
Labour has pledged to speed up construction of wind and solar farms in rural areas, raising concerns rural communities will find it difficult to block zero-emission projects.
Under the party's plans, farmers will have to wait until clean energy schemes are approved and approved. connected to the grid by new poles “will be cut from years to months.”
Writing in The Telegraph, Daniel Zeichner, the shadow farming minister, said the proposals showed that “Labour is the party that will deliver for rural Britain.”
He added that the reforms would “put money in the pockets of thousands of farmers and landowners” by allowing them to profit from clean energy production.
Labor is working hard to win over rural voters before he admitted he had become “too out of touch” with the countryside over the past two decades.
But his plans have sparked a backlash from by Tory MPs and risks alienating some communities that oppose wind turbines and solar panels. on the doorstep.
Mr Zeichner, the Cambridge MP, said the proposals would “protect the land, support farmers and lower bills” while ensuring the farming sector reaches net zero.
“We must also support farmers as they diversify their income streams and use land that is not suitable for food production, allowing them to build renewable energy and connect to the national grid faster,” he wrote.
“Under the Conservatives, farmers and landowners have had to wait years to get renewables online. No more.
Mr Zeichner accused Rishi Sunak of “slapping and rolling back from net zero” which would leave British farmers more vulnerable to severe weather in the future.
He added: “With Labor, Britain's rural communities will get their future.” back.”
But the remarks will deepen fears that Labor could weaken the powers of rural communities to block new solar panels, wind farms and poles.
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to “crush” opposition to development and rewrite planning law to end local vetoes on green energy projects.
The Labor leader said last June that “there has to come a point where, if we're going to move forward, we don't have simple individual vetoes across the country.”
He also said at the party conference in October that he would “fight the blockers” to build more wind and solar farms and ” lay the cables needed for our future prosperity.”
A Public First poll published last October found that one in three Britons would be opposed to new power lines being built within three miles of their home.
But the consultancy said Labor would be “less vulnerable” to local protests because most green energy projects were to be built in Tory constituencies.
Planning reform will be one of the main dividing lines at the next election, with the Conservatives accusing Sir Keir of planning to “concrete the countryside”.
Labour plans to set binding targets for councils on how quickly they approve green energy projects. He also wants officials to actively identify sites for them.
He has unveiled proposals to cut energy bills for people living in communities near new wind farms, solar panels and utility lines.
< p>Steve Reid, the shadow environment secretary, admitted last autumn that Labor was “too out of touch” with rural voters and promised a more “respectful approach”.
But the plans sparked a backlash from the Conservatives, who warned that despite Mr Zichner's assurances, they risked “undermining our food security” and damaging rural areas.
Dr Caroline Johnson, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said: “This means we will have to import food, which is more expensive and worse for the environment.
“There are also visual implications for people living in rural areas. Having solar panels on a few fields here and there is one thing, but a large solar farm is very unattractive and essentially industrializes the landscape.
“We should be installing solar panels on houses, factories and warehouses instead.”
The Tory source added: “In contrast to the current government's efforts to encourage farmers to install solar equipment on farm buildings, this shows Labor wants to take prime farmland away from food production, undermining our food security.
“This empty promise is a smokescreen to hide the fact that Keir Starmer and Steve Reid have no plan for our farmers or our countryside. Labor will get our vital rural economy back on track.”
Beautiful words: butter without parsnips
By Daniel Zeichner, Labour's shadow agriculture minister
The world has just experienced its hottest 12 months on record and Britons have experienced their highest ever food price inflation nutrition over the past 45 years. These two events are not isolated from each other.
Research shows that unusual weather patterns caused by climate change are responsible for a third of food price inflation. It adds to the cost of living crisis, adding a staggering £361 to UK household bills since the start of 2022.
Last year's summer harvests were threatened by drought, and heavy rain and flooding this winter have destroyed crops. This “perfect storm” has led to food shortages on our supermarket shelves and rising prices.
These runaway revenues hit the poorest people the hardest. Over the past two years, poor families have had to fork out the equivalent of 10 extra weekly food purchases.
Daniel Zeichner says that the Labor Party will protect families from unaffordable food prices by supporting British farmers. Photo: James Manning/PA Archives
Meanwhile, the Tory government flops and retreats from net zero, not realizing the cost of inaction. The Labor Party will protect families from unaffordable food by supporting British agriculture, supporting farmers to reduce emissions and make their land more resilient to the shocks of extreme weather.
Seven years since the UK voted to leave the EU, despite promises to review farm payments, farmers are still in the dark. Michael Gove set out the concept of sustainable farming in 2018 but, to borrow an old farming phrase, fine words don't wash the parsnips.
Since then, Tory chaos has left farmers wondering how to help them restore land and reduce emissions. The Labor Party will retain environmental land management schemes – payments for sustainable farming – but will remove unrest in their implementation. We will overcome the Tory bureaucracy that prevents farmers from getting funding for work that includes protecting the nature and wildlife habitats on their land.
We must also decarbonize the agricultural sector. That's why Labor will create Great British Energy, a new state-owned company that will bring together public and private investment to harness Britain's clean, homegrown energy: wind, wave, solar and nuclear. This means cheaper bills for our farmers.
We must also support farmers as they diversify their income sources and use land unsuitable for food production, giving them the opportunity to build renewable energy and connect to the national grid faster.
Under the Conservatives, Farmers and landowners have had to waiting years to connect their renewable energy sources to the grid. No more. Labor will cut waiting times for planning decisions from years to months, putting money in the pockets of thousands of farmers and landowners.
The Tories are doing a 180 as the climate crisis knocks on our doors. . They refuse to meet climate change commitments while our farmers' fields are flooded and inaccessible. And they are slow to protect nature and farmland while family food bills run through the roof.
Labour is the party that will benefit rural Britain. Our plan will protect the land, support farmers and lower bills. Thanks to the Labor Party, Britain's rural communities will reclaim their future.
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