Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, Anneliese Dodds MP, and Ed Miliband MP, have argued that the government should introduce a 'Build it in Britain' public policy as part of the process of investing in a Green Economic Recovery.
Labour offers progressive ideas for our future generations and will be judged by our children and youth on the choices we make today to tackle the jobs crisis and global climate emergency.
Labour asks for £30 billion of urgent investment to help recover jobs, retrain workers and rebuild our businesses.
The money would support 400,000 green jobs to help our country create a green economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic is a world-wide crisis almost unknown in the UK over the past century. It has resulted in a health, economic, social and, for many, deeply personal loss of life. We are in the deepest recession in 300 years.
And we are not likely to return to past norm of life, but having to adopt new ‘norms’. We also need to fundamentally change our economy so that it is more just, secure and sustainable. The United Nations has warned that we have less than 10 years to avert the worst impacts. Tackling it will require “far-reaching and unique changes in all aspects of society.” “The next few years may be the most important in our history”.
Labour launched its open consultation in June to gather evidence and ideas about how the UK can recover in a way that builds a fairer, greener economy. 2000 responses were received from businesses, trade unions, policy groups, & NGOs.
A green recovery would help tackle the challenges of substantial job losses, slow economic growth and climate / ecological instability. It could also support the formation of a new industrial revolution - more than 1 million green jobs over the next decade - tackling regional inequalities and forming new job skills.
As a first step, Government should act to produce 400,000 new jobs in the immediate future.
The time has come to harness the technologies of the future.
We cannot afford to repeat the lost decade of low wage and productivity growth that we suffered after the global financial crisis. The Conservatives promised a “greenest Government ever.” However, their rhetoric has not led to tangible actions. The UK Government is not offering the leadership expected of a country that hosts next year’s international Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
Labour has become the progressive alternative.
We are now in the era of a new tradition of 3Rs:
Recover jobs - investment and coordination to secure up to 400,000 green jobs.
Retrain workers, to equip them with skills needed to deploy new green technologies
Rebuild business using a stronger social contract between Government and businesses to tackle the climate crisis and ecological deterioration.
Future generations will judge us by the choices we make today.
A credible, jobs-rich green recovery requires coordinated action, harnessing investment and regulation alongside local government and the private/ voluntary sectors to deliver change.
No time to waste!
Anneliese Dodds MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Ed Miliband MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, acted on the call, and have now launched a full inquiry.
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