LP Conference 2022, the climate emergency & the environment – a personal report.
Debates and policy decisions about the climate emergency and the environment figured prominently at the Labour Party conference this year. Here is Simon Henry’s personal report on the debates. Simon’s opinions expressed here are not necessarily the views of the Labour Party.
Conference Slogan: “Fairer, Greener Britain”
I’ve taken some extracts from the speeches I attended in the Main Hall: Starmer, Reeves and Miliband, to illustrate where the Labour Party (the Shadow Cabinet) sees itself in “green” and economic terms. I’ve included Rachel Reeves speech because obviously the economy and climate are inextricably linked – especially if the economy is going to grow.
Despite all the good intentions there is not very much that is specific or costed, but what there is, could be very significant if put into practice. And the message that “green” can be, is, and must be the only option and that it is the only fair option for working people is a good strong message for the electorate. As Paul Mason said at a Resolution Foundation fringe meeting, the Conservative plans for the economy won’t work and aren’t fair; and they won’t work because they aren’t fair.
There are some issues though; for example, the mention of carbon capture, and the insistence on a growth economy – which is also going to be fully sustainable, and the repeated emphasis on being business-friendly and a party very much at the centre. As Mandelson said in an interview, it’s back to the Blair years, but as John McDonnell said at The World Transformed Socialist Campaign Group Rally nearby, Labour is taking on many policy ideas that he and Corbyn proposed, such as public ownership of energy and transport.
But could the red green direction be compromised by the enthusiastic partnership with business and a strong entrepreneurial ethic as is suggested, possibly, by why they are so keen to dissociate from anyone too far to the left; although this is probably more to do with gaining a wider acceptance with the electorate? Despite some questions we need to get them elected because (less we could forget for a second) the alternative is not some static stable condition that needs a little adjusting here and there, but a fundamentally terrible and unstable situation that is intolerable and will get even worse with trickle down economics and future deregulation.
The mood at conference was very positive and optimistic, I think because the current Tory leadership has widened the gap between Tory and Labour into a yawning chasm between fundamentally different value sets. No longer are people fooled by the illusion of the previous “jolly” leader who occasionally made a token nod in the direction of green issues.
Actually you don’t really need to read the extracts although they do give a strong sense of the optimism and commitment to the slogan above. The main proposals were:
The National Wealth Fund, Great British Energy, The Green Prosperity Plan, Green New Deal, Living Wage, National Economic Council, Office of Value for Money.
Fringe
There were a number of fringe meetings addressing “green” issues, e.g.:
- Climate for growth: levelling up through Green Innovation
- Net Zero: how much will people need to change their behaviour? (Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh said we can’t achieve Net Zero without considerable behaviour change (!) Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh is the Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) at the University of Bath.)
Growth was mentioned a number of times, though not always clearly defined. In the speeches there was an attempt to emphasise that growth under Labour would be sustainable, generated by people and with investment in skills, and green technology.
There were SERA meetings off site. And there was Composite 12 proposed by SERA which was passed (although this is not binding).
Composite 12 calls on Labour in government to recognise a “legal duty of care” regarding the climate change and biodiversity emergencies and recognise the UK’s international legal responsibilities in that area. The motion demands that the party offer a programme that shows “global climate and energy policy leadership” and work with UK nations, local authorities, FE colleges, businesses and unions to devise and deliver the training necessary for the skilled workforce required to achieve its renewables and energy efficiency plans.
Although in his speech Ed Miliband committed to a Green New Deal, the motion for a Green New Deal was ruled out of order by the CAC before conference because it “covers more than one subject”.
By the way:
Should we be backing the Climate and Ecology Bill
49 Labour MPs do:
“This is a groundbreaking proposal that would commit the UK to playing its part in limiting global heating to 1.5°C while restoring the country’s ecological landscape. With 124 MPs now supporting the CEE bill – the #climate100 – there’s a growing parliamentary caucus demanding urgent action on the climate and ecological emergency.”
Other supporters of CEE who were also at The World Transformed (TWT) are Nadia Whittome, Zarah Sultana, Rebecca Long Bailey, Diane Abbott, see https://www.zerohour.uk/mp_supporters
Also supporting CEE is Bambos Charalambous (at conference, not TWT).
The extracts from key speeches
Kier Starmer
We’ll turn Britain into a growth superpower to give working people their future back;
an economy that works for working people and gives Britain its hope and future back.
Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan
The plan will create one million new jobs in towns and cities in every corner of the country, as well as bringing down energy bills, raising living standards and ensuring Britain shows global leadership in tackling the climate crisis.
Starmer will commit to kicking off this mission within the first 100 days of his Labour government. It will require a different way of working – the biggest partnership between government, business and communities this country has ever seen.
But in order to fulfil Britain’s potential, Starmer will say we must end the short-termist approach that has dogged the country for a decade and seize the opportunities ahead of us.
He will declare that Labour will get Britain “out of this endless cycle of crisis with a fresh start, a new set of priorities and a new way of governing.”
The climate crisis also provides the biggest opportunity that Britain has had in decades to make the country work for working people. We cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity to lead the world in renewable energy, electric vehicles and harnessing new hydrogen power among others.
He made a personal commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
He celebrates the changes that the Labour Party has made since 2019 and how it has brought the party back to the political centre ground – tribute to the Queen and singing of the national anthem at the start of conference.
“We must stand with working people. Meet their ambitions for real change. Walk towards a better future. And build a new Britain, together.”
A Britain that is fairer, greener, more dynamic
Currently there is: Pollution of our rivers, backlogs at borders, courts, hospitals
They need to know ….That we can grow the economy and raise living standards for everyone, not just a privileged few; tackle climate change by creating new jobs, new industries, new opportunities; redesign our public services to unleash opportunity and provide security; restore faith in politics as a force for good; get Britain’s hope, its confidence and its future back.
So imagine we are looking back at the first term of the next Labour Government……Britain is greener. We’re leading the world on climate change. People look at us and follow our example. New jobs, industries, technologies benefit all parts of the country.
And because we are fairer, because we are greener, we’re also more dynamic. Our entrepreneurial spirit – unleashed. New technology – improving public services. Cutting-edge science and world-class services driving economic growth. And working people are respected as the people who create the wealth that drives Britain forward.
Rachel Reeves and I have set out a framework for sound money. We’re determined to reduce debt as a share of our economy. Every policy we announce will be fully costed. And we will set up an Office for Value for Money to make sure public spending targets the national interest
It’s time to write a new chapter of Labour Party history about how we built a fairer, greener, more dynamic Britain by tackling the climate emergency head on and used it to create the jobs, the industries, the opportunities of the future.
Green Prosperity Plan. A plan that will turn the UK into a green growth superpower. And driving the plan forward is a goal that will put us ahead of any major economy in the world: 100 percent clean power by 2030.
A huge national effort. An effort that will: double Britain’s onshore wind capacity, treble solar power, quadruple offshore wind, invest in tidal, hydrogen, nuclear.
And working with Ed Miliband and his team, we’ll make sure this energy revolution powers up all parts of the country. …clean hydrogen energy ….Offshore wind …..Solar power. This will require a different way of working – the biggest partnership between government, business and communities this country has ever seen. It will mean new jobs – more than a million new jobs, training for plumbers, electricians, engineers, software designers, technicians, builders. And it will all start within the first 100 days of a new Labour government.
A new British sovereign wealth fund will drive us forward on this mission.
So we will set up Great British Energy within the first year of a Labour government. A new company that takes advantage of the opportunities in clean British power and because it’s right for jobs, because it’s right for growth, because it’s right for energy independence from tyrants like Putin.
Yes Conference, Great British Energy will be publicly owned.
Technology has turned everything on its head. Green and growth don’t just go together – they’re inseparable. The future wealth of this country is in our air, in our seas, in our skies. Britain should harness that wealth and share it with all.
British power to the British people.
New Deal for working People
a new target – 70% home ownership
Help real first-time buyers onto the ladder with a new mortgage guarantee scheme. Reform planning so speculators can’t stop communities getting shovels in the ground.
Business leaders aren’t knocking on my door saying they want to rip up employee rights. They don’t tell me the problems they face will be solved by corporation tax cuts. They want fair taxes, high skills and the long-term confidence to invest.
I’m not just pro-business, I want to partner with business. So we will scrap business rates, level the playing-field for start-ups and the high street, give employers new flexibility to invest in the world class training they need.
This isn’t about the size of government – it’s about what government can do. Government can support businesses to innovate and grow. Can bring in the creative genius of our scientists and universities. Can unite us to tackle the country’s challenges on behalf of working people
Rachel Reeves
I believe that hard work should be met with fair reward. I believe that strong public services are the backbone of any decent society. I believe that inequality divides and holds us back as a country. I believe that the task of building a fairer society is a moral responsibility.
And more than that: it is the route to a stronger economy. That truth is at the heart of Labour’s plans for growth.
The causes of this crisis are global. But our unique exposure to rising energy prices is a result of the choices of Conservative governments.
Inaction on insulating homes. Inaction on nuclear and renewable energy. And the sheer irresponsibility of closing our gas storage facilities.
Fracking is dangerous. It is bad for the planet. It won’t even reduce our bills.
And with Labour it will not happen.
Here is our alternative. Our Green Prosperity Plan, to provide the only sustainable solution to the energy crisis. To free ourselves from dependence on Russia. To invest in solar, in wind, in tidal, in hydrogen, and in nuclear power. And to pass onto our children a fairer and a greener country.
This is a moral responsibility. And it’s an economic necessity.
On climate change, the costs of inaction today will mean far greater costs tomorrow. I refuse to leave our children to pick up the pieces of our failure.
I will be Britain’s first green Chancellor.
Ed Miliband has just set out how the next Labour government will cut energy bills for good by generating all of our electricity from clean sources by 2030.
But our Green Prosperity Plan is about something else too: it is about economic growth. Because British businesses are falling behind in a global race for new industries.
It matters that the largest offshore wind farm in Scotland has its blades made not in Scotland but thousands of miles away.
It matters that the rest of Europe is powering ahead with electric battery factories, and we are stuck in the slow lane.
It matters that Germany, France, and the US are making the running with green hydrogen but we are not.
We have the ability. But we want the jobs here. We want the factories here. And we want British businesses to take the lead.
The next Labour Government will create a National Wealth Fund, so that when we invest in new industries.
In partnership with business, the British people will own a share of that wealth, and the taxpayer will get a return on that investment.
Wealth flowing from jobs in electric battery factories, in the West Midlands, the North East, the North West, and the South West.
Offshore wind driving investment in our ports: from the Humber to Southampton, East Anglia to Belfast.
Clean steel with jobs in Rotherham, Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Cardiff, and Port Talbot.
And carbon capture and storage in our industrial heartlands, in Grangemouth and in South Wales, in Humber and in Teesside, and here in Merseyside too.
Because when I say I want to buy, make, and sell more in Britain, I mean it.
What you will see in your town, in your city, with Labour is a sight we have not seen often enough in our country.
Cranes going up, shovels in the ground. The sounds and the sights of the future arriving.
Secure, skilled jobs, for plumbers, electricians, and joiners, for designers, scientists, and engineers.
Wealth that will flow back into your community and onto your high street. Wealth that the British people will own a stake in.
Wealth that is invested in our country’s future. That is a real plan for the climate. That is a real plan for growth.
And that is a real plan for levelling up. A zero-carbon economy – made right here. Made in Britain.
It is time for a government that is on your side, and that government is a Labour government.
[And as she points out the alternatives are not good: trickle down economics wherein how wealth is distributed doesn’t matter, and there is deregulation, planning restrictions lifted, workers’ rights undermined, consumer protection removed.]
Trickle down is wrong because, in a turbulent world, businesses need government as a partner. Trickle down is wrong because strong institutions and robust public finances provide the foundations for a strong economy.
And trickle down is wrong, because a strong economy needs strong public services.
Wealth doesn’t trickle from the top down.
It comes from the bottom up, and the middle out.
From the talent and the effort of tens of millions of ordinary people, and from thousands of businesses.
Our economy needs the most productive, most high-tech businesses to thrive in Britain.
And we all rely on what I call the everyday economy, on transport workers and delivery drivers, our supermarket and retail workers, our NHS and care workers.
Don’t let anyone tell you that they are not wealth creators too.
They are key to our security as a society. And yet too many of them are among the most insecure.
Overworked. Underpaid. Undervalued.
On day one as Chancellor, I will write to the Low Pay Commission, with a simple instruction:
that the minimum wage will be set at a level that reflects the real cost of living.
The last Labour government delivered Britain’s first national minimum wage.
The next Labour government will introduce a genuine Living Wage.
If I were Chancellor right now, I would bring together a National Economic Council that will bring together industry and trade unions, so working people and businesses were at the heart of economic decision-making.
Businesses: They tell me about the need for properly targeted investment allowances, the need for workers equipped with the right skills, the need for certainty and a sense of direction from government, and yes – the need for a sensible working relationship with our European neighbours.
So Labour will level the playing field. We will abolish business rates, and replace them with a fairer system fit for the 21st century. …businesses would get revaluation discounts straight away
If you are remotely serious about growth, then you have got to make Brexit work. Our agriculture and our food industries rely on trade right across Europe, but we have a deal which doesn’t even include a veterinary agreement.
We are pioneers in creative industries, but we have a deal which ties them in knots over visas. We are the second largest exporter of services in the world, but we have a deal that doesn’t include the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
So we will fix the holes in the government’s patchwork Brexit deal. And instead of picking needless fights with our largest trading partner, we will work together with our neighbours and allies, in our national interest.
That is Labour’s approach: proudly pro-worker and proudly pro-business.
Supporting innovation. Sharing opportunity. Reviving our high streets.
Labour will not waver in our commitment to fiscal responsibility.
That is why I set out the fiscal rules for the next Labour government a year ago. Every policy that Labour announces – and every line in our manifesto – will be carefully costed and fully funded.
We need a growing economy to pay for modern, sustainable public services.
But a growing economy needs strong public services too
We need strong, sustainable public finances alongside strong, sustainable public services
A greener, fairer Britain, with jobs for people in Britain, industries owned by the people of Britain, profits shared by the people of Britain
Ed Miliband
Now we meet here amidst three emergencies.
A cost of living and energy bills crisis affecting millions of families and businesses.
An energy security crisis borne of a decade of Tory neglect and exposed by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
And the climate crisis which came to Britain this summer with our first ever 40-degree day.
These emergencies demand the boldest of leadership.
These emergencies demand an energy policy for the people and the planet.
Let’s start with energy bills.
Labour led the way in January with the call for a windfall tax.
Labour led the way in August with the call for an energy price freeze.
the crises we face might seem very different but they all come from one source:
The climate and nature crisis is caused by our burning of fossil fuels.
The energy bills crisis is caused by the fact we are exposed to the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices wherever we get our gas from.
And the crisis of energy security comes from the scramble for gas triggered by global events.
So all these crises have the same ultimate cause: our dependence on fossil fuels.
all of them have the same solution.
Low-cost, homegrown zero carbon power.
The price of solar and wind energy is nine times less than that of gas.
That’s why for bills, for security and for climate, I am proud to announce a Labour government will make Britain the first major country in the world to set and achieve the target of zero-carbon power by 2030.
Britain a clean energy superpower.
Saving £93 billion off bills.
Let’s hear it for doubling onshore wind, trebling solar power, quadrupling offshore wind, tidal power, nuclear, hydrogen power and all underpinned by the best investment we can make – £60 billion over a decade to insulate 19 million cold, draughty homes, saving £1000 off bills, cutting carbon emissions, and led by our brilliant Labour local authorities.
Working with business, government as partner, investor and, yes shareholder.
A new National Wealth Fund for Britain to lead the world in hydrogen.
Lead the world in the EV revolution from the North East to the West Midlands.
Lead the world in green steel from Port Talbot to Scunthorpe.
Lead the world in decarbonising industry from here on Merseyside to Grangemouth.
Lead the world in jobs in wind energy from the South West to Scotland.
That’s what I mean by the green industrial revolution.
That’s what I mean by a green new deal.
That’s what I mean by an energy policy for the people and the planet.
So here is the election choice.
Lower energy bills with Labour, higher bills under the Tories.
Energy security with Labour, energy insecurity under the Tories.
Millions of green jobs with Labour, the opportunities squandered under the Tories.
Leading the world again in tackling the climate crisis with Labour, climate delay, denial and destruction under the Tories.
Conference Links
All the speeches:
Ed Miliband:
https://labour.org.uk/press/ed-miliband-conference-speech/
Rachel Reeves:
Paul Mason:
https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-big-economy-debate/
Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh:
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/events/labour-party-conference-2022
Full Fact a fact checking website:
https://fullfact.org/news/keir-starmer-conference-2022/
Every policy Labour has announced can be found at:
https://labourlist.org/2022/10/the-content-of-every-policy-motion-passed-at-labour-conference-2022/
all 17 policy motions were passed by a show of hands, but the Labour Party is not bound by them: NPF and Clause V decide on manifesto inclusions.
Climate crisis (composite motion 12) proposed by SERA
https://www.sera.org.uk/affiliate_your_clp_to_sera
TWT
https://theworldtransformed.org/twt-22/
The Socialist Campaign Group Rally
https://socialistcampaigngroup.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhvEib4TmNo
Sunday Main Hall
Rachel Reeves
Shadow Chancellor’s Speech:
https://labour.org.uk/press/rachel-reeves-shadow-chancellor-of-the-exchequer-conference-speech/
Sunday Fringe
Climate for Growth: Levelling up through Green Innovation (NESTA)
https://www.nesta.org.uk/event/climate-for-growth-levelling-up-through-green-innovation/
Monday Fringe
ResolutionFoundation
https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-big-economy-debate/
Tuesday Fringe
What is Labour’s vision for levelling up and devolution within England?
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/events/labour-party-conference-2022
Robert Griffith’s article in the Morning Star:
“What would a Labour movement budget look like?”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/what-would-labour-movement-budget-look
Net Zero: how much will people need to change their behaviour?
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/events/labour-party-conference-2022
https://twitter.com/ifgevents/status/1574724782947540994?s=20&t=p0AdsY4cQKt2fTK_b2Qbsw
We can’t achieve net zero without considerable behaviour change
Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh
Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) at the University of Bath
also
Andrew Murray “Is socialism possible in Britain?” and interview in Morning Star
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/andrew-murray-interview
“God save the King, the Starmer regime” James Harvey Labour Party Marxists in Weekly Worker
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1411/god-save-the-king-the-starmer-regime/
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/authors/james-harvey/
https://www.buglife.org.uk/news/alarm-as-government-moves-to-remove-all-pesticide-rules/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GreenLeft/
Climate and Ecology Bill
49 Labour mps do:
This is a groundbreaking proposal that would commit the UK to playing its part in limiting global heating to 1.5°C while restoring the country’s ecological landscape. With 124 MPs now supporting the CEE bill – the #climate100 – there’s a growing parliamentary caucus demanding urgent action on the climate and ecological emergency.
Other supporters of CEE who were also at TWT are Nadia Whittome, Zarah Sultana, Rebecca Long Bailey, Diane Abbott
also supporting CEE is Bambos Charalambous (at conf. not TWT)
https://www.zerohour.uk/mp_supporters
https://www.zerohour.uk/full_bill_pdf
Motion for Green New Deal “ruled out of order” by CAC (Conference Arrangements Committee) because it “covers more than one subject”.
https://labourlist.org/2021/09/labour-for-a-green-new-deal-conference-motion-ruled-out-of-order/
Documentaries:
Al Jazeera: The Labour Files
Big Oil v The World
The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros