Labour minister Ed Miliband was stopped in his tracks by Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid when he made the promise that energy bills will have £300 knocked off them by 2030. The pledge comes from the party’s manifesto.
He appeared on GMB today from Azerbaijan where he is attending the Cop29 climate conference.
Presenter Susanna pressed him on the promise for £300 savings from green energy. He said: “We set that out for 2030. It was an independent set of modelling that said that bills could go down £300. And what’s important, Susanna, is that the report I referred to last week from the energy system operator confirms that not only is our target achievable, but it will lead to lower costs of electricity, and this is really, really important.
“It is the big change that I was talking to Richard about. It’s a change that renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels, and what’s crucial also is not just cheaper, but it gives us more security. We saw when Russia invaded Ukraine was prices going through the roof, and that is what cheap, clean renewables avoid happening.”
However Susanna came back and wondered what bills might have gone up by in 2030: “OK, so in six years time our bills will go down by £300. How much are they going to have gone up by that point?“
Mr Miliband replied: “Well, it’s not about bills going up as a result of our plans. The truth is, Susanna, is that because we don’t control fossil fuel markets. So when geopolitical events happen, what happens is that you know, for example, Russia invading Ukraine, prices go up, and not just for imported gas.
“But for North Sea gas as well. So what we’re doing is transitioning to cheap, clean power that we control. You see, we set the prices, for example of offshore wind.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband have travelled to Azerbaijan for the climate change gathering Cop29. Appearing on the ITV show, Miliband also faced tough questions from Richard Madeley, who focused on the potentially devastating effects of the president-elect’s stance on climate change.
During the interview, Madeley said: “The president-elect has vowed to walk away from a global agreement about cutting carbon emissions for a second time. He has repeatedly called climate change a hoax.” He pressed further, adding: “We’re joined by Ed Miliband now, half of the world leaders are there, and if America doesn’t get on board—because we all know that Donald Trump gets what Donald Trump wants—you’re in real difficulties with this.”
Miliband responded over the summit’s resolve to move forward with or without U.S. support. “Well, look, we want to say that people haven’t noticed the US election, but the thing I find here at this summit is a real determination to get on with the job, and the reason I am here, and the Prime Minister is here, is in our national self-interest.”
