Sir Tony Blair’s think tank has urged ministers to scrap Ed Miliband’s Clean Power 2030 mission, warning it risks pushing up bills and damaging UK competitiveness.
In a report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), Labour is accused of pursuing an overly expensive strategy focused on maximising wind and solar, rather than delivering cheaper energy.
The TBI said a strategy that “raises electricity prices, hollows out industry and undermines competitiveness will not endure – and it will not be emulated.”
It added: “In a country responsible for less than 1 per cent of global emissions that is not climate leadership – it is climate theatre.”
The report calls for Clean Power 2030 to be replaced with “Cheaper Power 2030” and argues ministers should end the windfall tax on oil and gas, lift the ban on new North Sea exploration licences, and focus on reducing prices.
It highlights £1.5bn in “balancing costs” last year, caused by switching off wind farms when supply is high and relying on gas when output is low. While maintaining support for Net Zero by 2050, the paper argues cheaper energy is essential to decarbonisation, industrial growth, and supporting AI and data centres.
Author Tone Langengen said: “A reset in Britain's energy policy is the most effective contribution the UK can make to tackling climate change.”
He added: “At the moment, its narrow focus on whether power is clean means the system has lost sight of whether it is cheap, secure, and capable of powering a modern economy.”
A DESNZ spokesperson defended the Government’s approach, saying: “Our clean power mission is the only way to bring down bills for good.”