Jack Abbott
MP for IpswichAs COP29 unfolds and we confront the escalating climate crisis, the UK’s commitment to Net Zero and sustainable energy is more urgent than ever. Jack Abbott, Member of Parliament for Ipswich, proposes three tests for the new Government’s Net Zero ambitions.
Before entering Parliament, I spent the majority of my working life in and around the energy industry – I have seen the successes in the renewable energy and clean tech sector, and I understand the frustrations and barriers that have held us back.
The energy transition forms a central part of my political priorities too, with Ipswich standing at the gateway of the energy coast. I want to harness and retain the jobs, skills, and investment that will be created over the coming years. And if Britain is to become a clean energy superpower, I want our town to be right at its heart.
An Urgent Reminder
The most visceral reminder of the urgent need for the energy transition came in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which starkly exposed the cost of Britain’s energy insecurity.
Our country paid the price for more than a decade’s worth of Conservative dither and delay. Take housing, for example, a succession of botched home upgrade schemes left our country with the worst insulated housing stock in Western Europe, meaning that homes were not only leaking heat through their walls, but money too.
Short-termism
Yet, instead of using this as a catalyst to turbo-charge the energy transition, the Conservatives characteristically opted for short-termism. Sunak’s weak U-turn on Britain’s Net Zero obligations showed that he preferred cheap headline-grabbing to the hard yards of climate and economic leadership.
In Suffolk, we had become well-accustomed to this short-termism, with the dither and delay over the Sizewell C nuclear reactor. But the new Labour Government will not repeat the Conservatives’ mistakes on energy. So, in the short term, I will keep pushing for a final investment decision, so that in the long term, we can grasp the opportunities offered by the project, alongside its wider national benefits.
However, the previous Government’s failures run far deeper than just one project. To help ensure an equitable green transition that ensures Britain’s future prosperity, our new Labour Government must apply three key tests to its Net Zero policies.
Energy Security
Firstly, we must guarantee Britain’s energy security and independence. Whilst it would be naïve to promise total immunity from international price shocks, consumers should not have to feel the international market’s every painful oscillation.
Other countries are scrambling to claim their share of the jobs, prosperity, and security that the energy transition offers. Some of these countries are using it to assert geopolitical dominance over their rivals.
National energy security is one of the central missions of GB Energy – the new, publicly owned company – investing in clean, home-grown energy. Like GB Energy, the transition must be owned by, and work in the interests of, the British people.
Secure Jobs
Secondly, we must ensure that the transition provides secure jobs for the future, restoring pride and economic opportunity to every community across Britain. For example, here in Suffolk, Sizewell C is set to provide up to 10,000 jobs during construction, in addition to the creation of thousands of more indirect jobs.
I want kids growing up in Ipswich to have the pathway to these secure, well-paid jobs. I want people already in the workforce to be able to upskill and retrain so they can benefit too. I want to establish and grow local supply chains to ensure investment flows out into local businesses and communities.
However, the energy transition must not just centre around set-piece projects like Sizewell C, or large-scale offshore wind and solar projects, as invaluable as they are. Our ‘mission government’ must embrace smaller-scale projects and innovations that are equally well-placed to provide secure, local jobs, and a sense of community identity too. This will ensure a sustainable, long-lasting boost to our economy, the benefits of which will outlast any individual project.
Cheaper Bills
Thirdly, we must lower bills. The energy transition must not just benefit international multi-billion-pound companies; it must also create a fairer, more sustainable, and more affordable energy system for households across the country.
This is a theme that unites GB Energy, the Warm Homes Plan, and the decision not to grant new oil and gas licences. People must feel the benefits of the energy transition and share in its successes.
Final Thought
Over the coming years, I will do everything I can to support a rapid and equitable transition to Net Zero. The opportunity is too great to miss, and the price of failure too high to countenance. This is our future, if we are brave enough to grasp it.
To gain more insight into how the UK can Support Azerbaijan in Climate Leadership at COP29, please click here.