Green energy entrepreneur and Labour donor Dale Vince has urged incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to remove Ed Miliband from the Energy Department, accusing him of making net zero politically toxic through poor spending decisions.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Ecotricity founder said Mr Miliband had put "ideology before the economy" and questioned whether he understood "even the basic notion of value for money", citing government investment in carbon capture and heat pumps.
He said: “It’s about economic competence. It’s about having an understanding of even the basic notion of value for money. I question whether he has that when you look at spending decisions like carbon capture and storage.
“It’s madly uneconomic so this makes me question whether he’s putting ideology in front of [the] economy. We need something else from a chancellor and someone who is more business-like.”
Mr Vince also argued that current policy had damaged public support for net zero.
He said: “They’ve kind of led to the toxification, or enabled the toxification, of net zero, and the idea that it’s about spending vast sums of money subsidising technologies that only people with money can afford, like heat pumps and new electric cars, and being out of touch with reality.
“It adds to the feeling in the country that this green energy net zero stuff is driving bills up. It is a false narrative but the previous administration has enabled that and I hope Andy can fix it.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson defended its record, saying: “Net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century.”
They added: “From carbon capture in Teesside and nuclear at Sizewell C in Suffolk to offshore wind in Scotland, net zero is driving growth, jobs and energy security for families and businesses across the country.”