Why Reform and the Tories are dead wrong about renewable energy
Conservative and Reform politicians who attack clean power are putting investment into Scotland and the UK at risk
Last month, renewable technologies overtook coal as the main source of energy generation internationally. This is a significant milestone and a sign that the world is going in one direction – towards clean power.
Global renewable power generation is expected to double between now and 2030. This progress is built on years of multilateral work that has been led by the world's leading industrial economies.
Today, I'm in Toronto representing the UK at the G7 Energy and Environment Ministers’ meeting. And as a Scot and a UK energy minister, I am proud to be putting our nation at the heart of global energy discussions.
It is an opportunity to continue to push for progress on clean power and to put the UK in a leading position to benefit from the investment and jobs that are already powering this country’s economy.
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Scotland’s energy story
Scotland's story in the 20th century was inextricably linked with energy. It is a story of transitions and innovation. Coal mines across the Central Belt powered the early part of that century.
Ambitious and world-leading hydro-electric projects – the original clean power – produced energy on a massive scale from the 1950s onwards. And North Sea oil and gas – which will be part of our energy mix for decades to come – provided us with power for years when the reserves were still abundant.
Decisions taken and agreements reached around the table in Toronto today may feel distant from Scotland, but they will have a big impact on the work that is happening right now to to secure Scotland's next energy transition: accelerating the renewal of our electricity grid and expanding our solar, wind and nuclear energy generation.
This is good news for jobs at home and also for our energy security. The clean power sector in the UK is now growing three times faster than the economy as a whole. Tens of billions of pounds of investment are flowing into the UK with significant amounts of that investment finding its way to projects in Scotland.
None of this has happened by chance. It is the result of a clear direction from the UK Government that we want to be a global leader in clean power. That is why we are stepping up on the world stage to make the case for clean energy as a global good, and not stepping back as others would want us to do.
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Wrong side of history
But it could be very different. The agreement across politics on the urgency of the climate crisis that has allowed us to make progress is breaking down as some politicians choose to put division ahead of the national interest.
In doing so, they are putting themselves not just on the wrong side of history, but on the wrong side of communities across the country that are benefiting already from clean energy jobs.
When Conservative and Reform MPs open their mouths to attack clean power, when they talk about scrapping the UK’s world-leading Climate Change Act, we must call them out and make it clear what this would mean.
It would be an act of economic self-harm. It puts investment into Scotland and the UK at risk. It puts thousands of jobs – those we already have in clean power and also those that are on the way – in jeopardy. And it leaves us reliant on global fossil fuel markets that expose consumers to price shocks.
SNP wrong about nuclear
And in Scotland, when SNP politicians maintain their ideological opposition to clean, safe and reliable nuclear power, they are turning their backs on thousands of jobs and opportunities for people here at home.
That is why this Labour government is pushing ahead and why we are being ambitious for the future of our country. Last week, we set out our first ever national plan to ensure that a generation of young people in this country benefit from the high-wage, skilled jobs that clean energy can bring. That means over 400,000 additional jobs across the UK by 2030, with up to 40,000 of them in Scotland.
It's also why we are committed to the next generation of nuclear energy which will be crucial for our energy security and will provide a new generation of nuclear workers for our country. The SNP’s anti-nuclear position is the wrong choice for Scottish energy security and workers.
And it's why we set up and funded state-run company Great British Energy which will give us a stake in renewable projects and help to build the supply chain across the UK, unlocking thousands of jobs.
This is exactly what our opponents want to put at risk. So in Toronto today, my message to the other G7 energy ministers, and to investors, is that the UK is open for business. And despite the noises off from those who would do harm to our economy and leave the burden of the climate crisis to future generations, we will not be knocked off course.
The fight for energy security, lower bills, and good jobs is too important, and we are determined to win it.
Martin McCluskey is Labour MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
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