Labour challenges government to ‘Build it in Britain’

Labour is urging the government to ‘Build it in Britain’ and support the creation of 400,000 jobs, through a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Ahead of this month’s Comprehensive Spending Review, the opposition party is calling for an economic recovery that will deliver high-skilled jobs in every part of the UK as part of the drive towards a clean economy. It is also calling for the low-carbon infrastructure of the future to be built in Britain.

Labour’s calls follow an extensive consultation with businesses, trade unions and other stakeholders around what a credible green recovery should look like, which received almost 2,000 responses. The consultation indicated that the government must: bring forward planned capital investment and dedicate it to low-carbon sectors; put  in place an emergency training programme to equip people affected by the unemployment crisis;  and create a National Investment Bank focused on green investment, and by ensuring that public investment always aids the drive to net-zero rather than hindering it.

Action is also encouraged in accelerating planned investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, introducing a National Nature Service, an employment programme to focus on nature conservation projects, and bringing forward flooding protection investment, prioritising areas of need across the North West, Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “We face a jobs emergency and a climate emergency. It’s time for a bold and ambitious plan to deliver hundreds of thousands of jobs which can also tackle the climate crisis. This is the right thing to do for so many people who are facing unemployment, the right thing to do for our economy to get a lead in the industries of the future and the right thing to do to build a better quality of life for people in our country.

“As other countries lead the way with a green recovery, Britain is hesitating. It’s time to end the dither and inaction, and start delivering now.  It is what the British people deserve and what the crises we face demand.”