Miliband: Clean power is right choice for UK to ‘bring down bills for good’

Ed Miliband has labelled a dependence on fossil fuels as the UK’s energy “Achilles heel” as he pushes ahead with a clean power agenda in the face of increasing political opposition.

Speaking at Energy UK’s annual conference, the Energy Secretary argued renewables were cheaper than new gas plants, and were the right choice to free the country from the impact of global fossil fuel markets and bring down “bills for good”.

Labour came to power pledging “clean power by 2030”, with almost all of Britain’s electricity coming from clean sources such as renewables and nuclear by the end of the decade, as part of efforts to secure energy supplies, curb bills and tackle climate change.

But the agenda has faced significant push-back from the Conservatives and Reform UK, who have pledged to ditch “expensive” net zero policies and maximise extraction of oil and gas from the North Sea.

Mr Miliband told the conference in London on Tuesday: “Our exposure to fossil fuel markets remains the Achilles heel of our energy system, keeping bills high and giving us no long-term certainty over price.”

He said that wholesale gas costs for households were 75% above their levels before Russia invaded Ukraine, pushing up bills.

And the Cabinet minister argued that, with historic underinvestment in the energy system and rapidly growing demand for electricity for things such as AI and electric vehicles that are cheaper to buy, new energy infrastructure had to be built.

He said: “People are entitled to advocate for more fossil fuels and less or even no more renewables as part of this mix.

“But here is the reality those people need to confront: they would leave us more exposed because we don’t control the price.

“They are more expensive to build and operate.

“They would leave us losing out in the global race for the jobs, investment and industries of the future.

“And they would drive a coach and horses through our efforts to tackle the climate crisis.”

Mr Miliband told the conference: “I believe building clean energy is the right choice for the country because, despite the challenges, it’s the only route to a system that can reliably bring down bills for good and give us clean energy abundance.”

He also warned against overstating the public backlash against the green agenda.

Mr Miliband said he believed the British public were largely supportive of climate action, believed in the benefits of clean energy and wanted it done in a way that supports their standard of living – which he said the Government would do.

His comments come as the Government announced it was giving the UK’s largest solar farm, Tillbridge in Lincolnshire, the green light, the 17th nationally significant clean energy project it has approved since it came to power.

The 500 megawatt (MW) solar scheme, which has faced local opposition, could support 1,250 jobs and power hundreds of thousands of homes with solar power – the cheapest form of power available for the UK – officials said.

In his speech to the conference, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the energy sector “to take on the lies” put forward by Reform UK and the Conservative Party, who claim that clean power policies will cost UK billpayers more money.

Sir Ed said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch “pretend bills are high because we’re investing too much in renewable power”.

“And they pretend that if we stop that investment they will suddenly fall – simple, beguiling, terribly, terribly wrong,” he said.

Sir Ed argued that their plan “wouldn’t cut bills and it wouldn’t strengthen energy security”.

The Lib Dems have set out plans to halve energy bills by 2035, by investing in renewable power, launching a 10-year home energy upgrade programme and moving older renewable projects off expensive subsidies on to the cheaper “contracts for difference” scheme.

But shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho defended the Conservative Party’s push back against net zero policies in her speech to the conference.

She said: “I know that people argue that politicians saying the things that I’m saying are undermining certainty, and that certainty is what business needs.

“But sticking at decisions that make people poorer and our energy more expensive will not be sustainable in the long run because the electorate won’t accept it.”

Earlier, Dhara Vyas, chief executive of Energy UK, the sector trade body hosting the conference, called for clarity and honesty amid the breakdown in political consensus.

She said: “The message from the energy industry to all politicians engaged in the debate about clean power is clear.

“Businesses want consistency, pragmatism and leadership grounded in the understanding that clean power is not just a climate solution, but an economic and strategic one as well.”

While she said debate about the transition was a sign of a healthy democracy, she warned of the need to keep sight of the “bigger picture and the cost of inaction”.