London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 07, 2026

Labour conference: Sir Keir Starmer backs net zero electricity to boost growth

Labour conference: Sir Keir Starmer backs net zero electricity to boost growth

Labour has set out plans to make the UK the first major economy in the world to generate all of its electricity without using fossil fuels.

Sir Keir Starmer says achieving zero carbon energy by 2030 will be a key priority if he wins the next election.

But he said fossil fuels may be used as a "fall back" if it cannot be achieved by the end of the decade.

He told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg it was a "difficult" goal but "absolutely doable".

Labour sources said an emergency backup capacity of 0.7% of fossil fuel electricity production would be kept on stand by.

The government has already committed to zero carbon electricity by 2035 - but that pledge was made before the global spike in energy prices.

New prime minister Liz Truss has promised more renewable energy as part of a plan to make the UK a net exporter of energy by 2040, ending the country's dependence on foreign supplies.

However, she has also announced plans to restart fracking and issue more licenses to drill for gas.

Labour has already unveiled plans to spend £28bn a year on making the UK economy more green.

But the party believes it can win votes by promoting green energy as a way to generate economic growth, in contrast to Tory tax cuts for the well-off.

Sir Keir used colourful language at a fringe meeting on Saturday evening to attack the economic policies set out by Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

Cutting taxes for the better-off to stimulate growth has been attacked by critics as "trickle-down" economics.

"It's not trickle down, it's taking the piss", Sir Keir told party activists.

"You heard the chancellor yesterday (Friday). I didn't agree with almost anything he said in that financial statement yesterday apart from his opening sentence, when he said there's a 'vicious cycle of stagnation'.

"He's right about that and it's their vicious cycle of stagnation. That is the verdict on 12 years of Tory government, a vicious cycle of stagnation and we need to hang that around their necks."

He said it was good when "somebody who is caught red-handed actually pleads guilty".

Both Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have defended their plans to cut taxes.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ms Truss said the measures set out so far were "just the start" and her government would be "unapologetic in this pursuit" for growth.

And speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mr Kwarteng also suggested there was "more to come".

Meanwhile, several papers including the Sunday Telegraph reported claims Ms Truss was due to make more tax cuts in the new year, including to income tax, and discounts for savers and child benefit claimants.


Sir Keir, who will make his keynote speech to conference on Tuesday, is kicking off the week with a promise to turn the UK into a clean energy "superpower".

Labour says it will work with business to more than quadruple offshore wind power, triple solar, and double onshore wind by the end of this decade, while backing nuclear, hydrogen, and tidal power.

"Our plan for clean power by 2030 will save the British people £93bn off their energy bills and break the UK's vulnerability to Putin and his cronies," said Sir Keir.

"It will also support our drive for higher growth and rising living standards."

Labour says the plan will also "reindustrialise" the UK, by creating more than 200,000 direct jobs and up to 260,000-300,000 indirect jobs.

Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary David Lamy is set to announce a new "green dimension" to Labour's foreign policy.

In a conference speech, he will set out plans to put the environment at the top of the international agenda by making the climate crisis a standing item on the agenda of the National Security Council and pushing for climate action to become a fourth pillar of the United Nations.

The party is also expected to announce plans this week to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police on Britain's streets if elected, to cut crime and anti-social behaviour.


Sir Keir Starmer: "We've got to have the ambition to get off fossil fuels when it comes to our power"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
UK Beekeepers Call for Nationwide Tracking as Asian Hornet Sightings Increase
England Sees Sharp Rise in Property Subsidence Claims After Record Summer Heat
House of Lords Advances Financial Services Reform Bill
House of Lords Begins Detailed Scrutiny of Railways Bill and Great British Railways Plan
UK Treasury Cuts Green Book Discount Rate to Support More Regional Infrastructure Projects
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Aides After Undercover Report on Foreign Donation Rules
UK Chancellor Warns Autumn Budget Will Require Tough Choices as Energy Shock Squeezes Public Finances
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
×