The UK Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, has faced a wave of criticism after announcing a major policy reversal, scaling back its green investment pledge from the initial £28 billion annually to £4.7 billion. The party attributes the significant reduction to a 'dramatic shift in the state of the economy,' with Labour's Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds stating that 'significant circumstances have changed.' Despite the cut, Labour maintains that its ambitions for green policy remain, with half of the funds expected to come from an oil levy, and the state energy group plan still in place. The scaled-back financial commitment also includes a drastic reduction in the ambition of its home insulation program. Rachel Reeves has affirmed her intention to be Britain's first 'green chancellor,' and the party insists that commitments to achieve clean power by 2030 are still on the table and fully funded. The U-turn has led to criticism from environmental groups, unions, energy industry figures, and political commentators, who view the move as a betrayal of Labour's green agenda and damaging to Starmer's credibility. The policy shift has dominated headlines and prompted diverse reactions from political figures and the media.
It is THE U-turn everyone is talking about....but what do the voters think? The snap focus groups are in on £28 billion and it is bad news for Labour. Voters say Sir Keir Starmer flip flops too often and can't make his mind up. via @Moreincommon_ https://t.co/ytkFsUKtFN
Just read a Labour rightist arguing ferociously that it's right to have dumped the £28bn Green policy. On Monday, he was arguing ferociously that we had to vote Labour because of its £28bn Green policy.
SIGN OF THE TIMES: British Labor Party Scraps $35 Billion Yearly ‘Green Industries’ Spending Pledge in Major Policy Turnaround via @gatewaypundit https://t.co/62asj3cRNu
What a load of rubbish. Only 2 days earlier Labour were keeping their £28bn a year Green Policy. Nope - Keir Starmer changes his policies as often as he changes his underpants … daily… (I hope!) https://t.co/XbGr8lmr6G
‘He’s fallen into a Tory trap that was made for him.’ Senior Political Correspondent @NigelNelson reacts to Keir Starmer’s £28 billion U-turn on green policy. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604 🔓 Become a GB News Member: https://t.co/mNsRsGC8ef https://t.co/LYm4usTbMF
🔴The Big Political Trap Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves Are Walking Into The Labour leadership's determination to fight the battles of the past risks the long term survival of their political project, reports @AdamBienkov https://t.co/xxsgH7ruyy
🖊 'Labour’s pension raid will damage Britain’s economy' 'Reintroducing the lifetime allowance would see swingeing tax rises for some, but the public sector could be unfairly protected' - Read more from Telegraph View 👇 https://t.co/5EMwU53WVL
New poll shows twice as many voters condemn Labour dropping its £28b green investment target as approve it. Previous ones showed it was Labour’s second most popular policy. When will politicians ever learn about reality outside the Westminster bubble? https://t.co/4X4BoZJk5E
A lot of people are understandably upset at Labour for walking away from the £28 billion/year green new deal pledge. It would only be around 2% of the governments total expenditure. Is it so hard to get things like this done? As someone advocating for more space colonisation, I…
'You care about the environment, but you vote for a party that expands fossil fuel production. How does that work?' 'I'm not the one that votes Tory, mate.' @Matthew_Wright goes back and forth with a caller who isn't clear on how Labour's £28bn green pledge would have worked. https://t.co/DPRs3H3c3e
"It was a very very disappointing decision" Chris Packham reacts to Labour ditching a flagship pledge to spend £28bn-a-year on green investments if it wins the next general election. https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/64Ig438mUB
After months of prevarication, the Labour Party has made a dramatic reversal of its plans to decarbonise Britain’s economy. The political calculation behind this decision is understandable; the policy that results remains a mess https://t.co/qG2Lj7RiY8 👇
🔴 Shadow climate secretary angers backbenchers and activists by backing Sir Keir Starmer’s climbdown on flagship policy Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/P5FPaE8c3Y https://t.co/aR9MakSldP
This week’s missing £28 bulluon in Green policies? Harsh truths from Phil Collins on election numbers. It shouldn’t be necessary to say this ( again), but many Labour activists are slow learners. They call it idealism (Times) https://t.co/GJn1nJcXFd
'He is so into green taxes and green spending, it's devoured his life.' Former Editor at The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, calls for Keir Starmer to sack Ed Miliband, following Labour's £28bn green policy U-turn. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604 https://t.co/4EgnYtdcJ2
Oil and gas industry slams Labour's decision to hike the windfall tax and slash investment relief yesterday. Co-written with my excellent colleague @CharlieCooper8 Read more here at @POLITICOEurope https://t.co/8Go1sqAYcs
Labour’s political credibility questioned after green spending U-turn https://t.co/ZcnfvkIbKw
After the great U-turn, what exactly is Labour’s green policy now? Me for @indypremium https://t.co/JDe7nKUOla
"How can you have a prescription without a diagnosis?" 'The £28 billion was a big, big part of the diagnosis...' @Lewis_Goodall reacts to Labour dropping their green growth pledge, and fears Keir Starmer may become 'stuck in the sand' without a 'transformational agenda'. https://t.co/cC95zImQe1
Labour’s flip-flop on £28billion green spending is nothing to do with economics and everything to do with opinion polling. Everyone who follows politics knows that. Monday it was 👍, Thursday it was 👎 Labour = No plan!
'This was one of the few things where Labour appeared to have some form of a plan, but it disintegrated very quickly.' Tory MP, Tim Loughton, reacts to Keir Starmer's U-turn on his flagship green policy. 🔓 Become a GB News Member: https://t.co/mNsRsGC8ef https://t.co/b0fGdAOKYE
Labour’s proposal to increase the tax levied on the UK oil and gas industry, which is already at a level 3 times that applied to other UK businesses, combined with the removal of the investment relief is an attack on the oil and gas sector and its 200,000 workers.
A chunk of the cuts to Labour's £28 billion green pledge will come from energy efficiency measures, one of the least politically unappetizing green policies. Plus, the Barclays bankers getting no bonus. Get The Readout with @h_chandlerwilde https://t.co/KdjGLtgeJA
'They have made this thing look really messy in a way that the public would have noticed' Former Labour MP John Woodcock says his party's Net Zero U-turn does not affect their firm commitment to the green agenda. https://t.co/8PJuPmHwd0
"Was the £28 billion figure always nonsense?" @JackieLongc4 repeatedly challenges shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband over Labour's U-turn on their flagship £28bn green policy. https://t.co/z88pRqsmR6
Sir Keir Starmer has defended scrapping a flagship pledge to spend £28bn a year on the green transition, insisting he won't "make a promise I can't keep". 🔗 Read more https://t.co/QuCw8y4Dca
NEW: Labour have ditched £28 billion but it's full steam ahead for a bigger windfall tax - and oil + gas companies are (predictably) fuming Lobby group OEUK requesting urgent meeting with party leadership to get clarity and say thousands of jobs at risk https://t.co/l2tNu4zqjs
A lot of people still seem to be struggling with Labour's revised green investment pledge (and tbf the comms has been, er, pretty confusing) So here's a chart showing how it stacks up compared with Labour's original £28bn and current govt plans: https://t.co/C9PgID0L36
Keir Starmer is pretending he can junk the price tag but keep the actual policy itself. He now can’t say how he’ll afford it because he doesn’t have a plan for our economy. That means higher taxes for everyone and a worse future for our children. https://t.co/W5M10ZwoFq
The bad blood behind Starmer’s £28bn U-turn https://t.co/dTuUDsSBdZ
Britain’s Labour Party has cut back its flagship climate-change policy. But its objectives remain muddled https://t.co/kGJna16rzz 👇
Is Labour right to ditch its £28 billion green pledge? Paul Mason thinks so 👇 https://t.co/6ZEE7m19Y1
🔺 Rachel Reeves has said she will make “no apologies” for dropping Labour’s flagship £28bn green investment pledge as she insisted that she will still be Britain’s first “green chancellor” 👇 https://t.co/Ej76owChlx
Keir Starmer defends green spending U-turn as Sunak claims Labour policy is in ‘tatters’ https://t.co/qO7dZysMgt
'I want to be clear about what we can deliver and not promise things that we can't' Starmer insists all the commitments made to get to clean power by 2030 are 'still on the table and fully funded' after he dropped his £28bn a year pledge because the 'Tories crashed the economy' https://t.co/gYtOQNznRs
🇬🇧 Labour is afraid of its own shadow. Has drawn ALL the wrong lessons from the Liz Truss debacle. The Green Prosperity Plan stands no chance until the “sound money” fever breaks. “..to the detriment of…democracy in this country, for decades to come.” https://t.co/u844kHWb1n
Little good can come of Starmer’s green U-turn https://t.co/A9nQSHzwuH
The reason Labour are dropping these pledges is because they are growing their private donor list. Environmental policies are not popular with big oil and gas. Policies to improve NHS are not popular with private health. Get it now? Labour will not serve the people. https://t.co/QzonaajgDI
🖊️ 'What is Starmer’s plan for government? 'Labour's flip flopping has made it impossible to know where the Party stands on many issues' | Telegraph View https://t.co/Brf1qpx4sa
"Their signature economic policy is in tatters." Rishi Sunak says Labour "absolutely don't have a plan", after the party ditched a pledge to spend £28bn-a-year on green investments. Politics latest: https://t.co/xItZsH7tea 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/hnoKWXEOZ8
🌎 Labour dropped the £28bn price tag for its Green Prosperity Plan but insisted that this did not mean the party was in the long term rowing back on climate policy https://t.co/PtU2j3IyqX
Home insulation dropped off a cliff after David Cameron "cut the green crap". Now hopes are fading that a Labour government would revive the market https://t.co/65VqwMlP2A https://t.co/xVfMbfKb66
'Is Labour less ambitious in their climate policies?' - @WilfredFrost The level of ambition 'has to reflect' the impact of the economy, says Labour's @jreynoldsMP https://t.co/7oh34d9JV4 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/gjE7orb9uM
Labour has confirmed it is ditching a flagship pledge to spend £28bn-a-year on green investments if it wins the next general election. Labour's @jreynoldsMP says his party still has 'the most ambitious agenda of any opposition party' coming to power. https://t.co/7oh34d9JV4 https://t.co/XqlIcffrCZ
Labour's Jonathan Reynolds says his party cut a £28bn green investment pledge as "significant circumstances have changed." "[Tories] are talking about maxing out the credit card, using everything they've got in the last budget." @jreynoldsMP | @drdavidbull | @sarahhewsonTV https://t.co/TizdoTbR6q
After Keir Starmer ditched his £28bn green investment pledge, we're asking.... Will green policies decide your vote at the next election? @JakeBerry https://t.co/StGgmw1MbY
Talking about the figure isn't helpful to anyone, is it?' Labour's Shadow Business Secretary @jreynoldsMP speaks to @NickFerrariLBC about his party's recent U-turn and the focus on their £28bn green pledge. https://t.co/E2jdyN3ISV
This is damaging to the environment, to people's incomes, to job creation, to Labour's vote and to Starmer's credibility. Tories are jubilant. Labour cuts £28bn green investment pledge by half https://t.co/gNZsVfUizL
Labour have abandoned their £28bn a year spending pledge, but they are hiding even more reckless plans from the public. They preach a fantasy green politics that is detached from reality. My column on the case for honesty and pragmatism on net zero ⬇️ https://t.co/UD0W57ctpv
Minister for Science, Research and Innovation @griffitha accuses Labour of "a massive, colossal, see-it-from-space U-turn", after the party ditched a pledge to spend £28bn-a-year on green investments. https://t.co/xItZsH7tea 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/9njLSRmfpO
Home insulation bears the brunt of cuts to Labour’s green plan https://t.co/3HoXyF7oh5 via @Jess_Shankleman https://t.co/DxBMrkUaE3
"That those plans are now unravelling, just shows how foolish it would be and how expensive for taxpayers, were they to get into power.” Science minister Andrew Griffith tells #TimesRadio Labour’s “got a lot of explaining to do” after u-turning on their £28bn green fund. https://t.co/8ZpLsqP3yx
"They're going to be in trouble." Labour has abandoned its £28 billion-a-year pledge to invest in green projects, disappointing environmental campaigners. @drdavidbull | @sarahhewsonTV https://t.co/DSkg7lTjvP
🎙️ Is Starmer right to ditch his £28 billion green pledge? @johnmcternan and I speak to @JAHeale on the latest @SpecCoffeeHouse Shots 👇 https://t.co/8Q61NZk4GX
🇬🇧 Starmer U-Turn Slashes £28bn Yearly Green Spending Promise To £4.7bn ▫Labour blames frail finances ▫Half of funds to come from oil levy ▫State energy group plan stays ▫@PickardJE 🇬🇧 #frontpagestoday #UK @FT https://t.co/pDCIPWb8nG
Labour drops £28bn green target - and the questions that raises Film by @TomLarkinSky https://t.co/ke8rkNtMs8
‘Perhaps they’re being economical with the truth…’ Science Minister Andrew Griffith MP blasts the Labour Party for their U-turn on green spending policy, saying they have ‘no plan’. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604 🔓 Become a GB News Member: https://t.co/mNsRsGC8ef https://t.co/IrAiUof6Tp
Britain’s cold and drafty homes remain the most difficult part of net zero to solve, with the opposition Labour Party admitting it needs to drastically scale back the ambition of its home insulation program https://t.co/PJYbfPw7ie
‘This has been a slow motion car crash!’ Political Commentator, Peter Spencer, says it must be ‘particularly depressing’ for Keir Starmer after the Labour leader has ditched the party’s policy of spending £28bn a year on its green investment plan, in a major U-turn. https://t.co/aZTePy57W4
As Labour ditches its pledge to spend twenty-eight billion pounds on its flagship Green Prosperity Plan, farmers across Britain are adjusting to new payment schemes that offer grants to those who farm in an environmentally friendly way. GB News’ @willhollis_tv reports. https://t.co/BscoaTov6q
🔸Sir Keir Starmer faces a backlash over his latest u-turn 🔸One of the biggest hospitality companies is about to fold 🔸How invested in green policy should we be? @JonnyGould | @EltonMouna
Labour’s £28bn green policy U-turn – podcast https://t.co/Wp3Nw6jzRL
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s green spending U-turn features among a variety of stories on the front pages of Friday’s newspapers. https://t.co/q0nkC0GKdL
The Guardian view on Labour’s green retreat: wrong, wrong, wrong | Editorial https://t.co/53iUy09thw
Sir Keir Starmer is defending Labour’s U-turn on its pledge to spend £28 billion a year on green projects, amid criticism from environmental groups, unions and energy industry figures. https://t.co/tvemWEA3EM
🗞️ The Guardian: 'Fury as Starmer stages U-turn on £28bn green investment pledge' @AndrewDoyle_Com @LeoKearse @LewisSchaffer https://t.co/QDHeGa41Ga
Keir Starmer has abandoned his £28bn energy plan in one of the biggest U-turns of his leadership. It’s been a problem since Ed Miliband devised it ⬇️ https://t.co/eP5Xk8MnVD
- Keir Starmer drops £28bn green ‘albatross’ in latest watering-down of policy - my @ft explainer on the biggest Labour U-turn for a generation https://t.co/j3ibJ13VXO via @ft
'Who knows what Starmer will do next?! Starmer is making it up as he goes along, the public need to scrutinise him and his party a lot more!' Minister for Common Sense, Esther McVey, reacts to Starmer's U-turn on his £28bn green pledge. https://t.co/lKPk3VxoWY
‘The only man who can offer us some hope is Keir Starmer. And yet he seems absolutely intent on not doing so.’ @BenKentish says Labour have ‘absolutely bottled’ their green pledge. https://t.co/9Q4fPAlCBD
📰 Here's a first look at tomorrow's front pages 👇 🟢 Labour confirms U-turn on £28bn green spending pledge 🔴 The Post Office IT scandal ⚽ Football's rulemakers set to introduce blue cards for sin bins #Skypapers https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 https://t.co/HCRemS9kYP
“As long anticipated, the party will no longer seek to raise investment to £28bn a year by the end of the next parliament.” 🖊️ @georgeeaton https://t.co/PJDWeWOGvC
Should Labour have dropped the £28bn green investment figure? Listen to Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, on the latest #BBCNewscast...
Circumstances have changed, our ambitions have not. That’s what you need to know now about our green plan | Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves https://t.co/XnhCm9NSEe
Just been on @Channel4News with @cathynewman talking about Labour announcing it’s new position on green funding. The dramatic shift in the state of the economy is the reason given, for the dramatic cut to the £28 billion pledge. But we need to remember that borrowing for… https://t.co/robWXBJA18