Amongst much fluff, Ed Miliband’s speech to the Labour Party Conference contained very little new. Much blame was laid at the feet of previous governments. But very little really separates Miliband’s green dreams from his predecessors’ ‘green jobs’, ‘green growth’ mantras. Indeed, this blame was necessary to distract attention from the countless failures of U.K. energy and climate policy since Miliband last had the energy brief. Instead of offering anything of consequence, Miliband aimed to dazzle the conference with high-octane geeky hyperbole, which he and his colleagues are unlikely to be able to sustain in the face of Net Zero’s ongoing collision with reality.
The only tangible policy Miliband committed to in the speech, lauded by the Guardian, was the promise: “All rented homes to meet an [Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)] rating of C or its equivalent by 2030.” Currently, the Guardian explains, “private landlords are free to rent out homes even if they only meet the lowest minimum standard of efficiency, an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E”. And this policy seemingly crystalises Miliband’s emphasis on “social justice, economic justice, climate justice”.
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