Put north of England ‘front and centre’ of net zero strategy, Reeves urged | Green politics

Rachel Reeves has been urged to put the north of England at the heart of the UK’s net zero strategy, as research shows the sector contributes a greater share of the region’s economy than nationally.

Labor colleague Julie Elliott said the North needed to be “at the forefront” of the Treasury’s clean energy growth strategy.

Analysis published by business group Northern Powerhouse Partnership shows that net zero accounts for a higher share of regional output in the north of England than in Britain as a whole, and that the north accounts for just over a fifth of the country’s net zero output.

In Sunderland, where the strategy accounts for a larger share of economic output than anywhere else in the north, Labor leaders have warned that Reform UK would dismantle the industry if it wins power at the next general election.

Nigel Farage’s party is expected to take control of hundreds of seats in the north of England in May’s local elections, and could break Labour’s decades-long hold on Sunderland city council.

Reform UK has pledged to scrap “stupid net zero” policies which it says are destroying jobs in the oil and gas sector.

Reeves, the chancellor, described clean energy as “the industrial opportunity of the 21st century” and said the UK’s net zero emissions sector is growing three times faster than the economy as a whole.

By 2030, ministers expect the UK’s clean energy workforce to more than double to 800,000 jobs.

A report from The Data City, an analytics company, shows that net zero supports 140,000 jobs in the north of England, which – at just under 2% of the total – is in line with the UK average.

Yet net zero accounts for a higher share of the region’s economic output, with Sunderland, Tyneside, Warrington, Darlington and Cumberland experiencing rapid growth in this relatively new industry.

In these areas, net zero contributes 6-7% to gross value added (GVA), a measure of the value added by businesses through the goods and services they produce. This includes well-paying jobs producing electric vehicles and batteries, building renovations, and work on wind turbines and solar power.

Lady Elliott, a former Labor MP for Sunderland Central who now chairs the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said it was vital for Reeves to develop a clean energy strategy for the north of England.

She said: “If making the North a leader in the energy transition is not at the center of the growth strategy, how can we expect the National Wealth Fund or GB Energy to deploy more of its investments in the North if the Treasury has not clearly asked them to do so – as the evidence shows they should do. »

Experts said the transition to net zero presented both an opportunity and a risk for the north of England. With the backing of the Treasury, it would support reindustrialisation, increase productivity and anchor long-term investment in regions which have struggled to recover from the loss of heavy industry. However, if net zero jobs were prioritized elsewhere it would “reinforce current disparities” and leave towns like Sunderland and Warrington behind.

Northern leaders last week welcomed the government’s long-standing commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail, an upgraded east-west link to replace the region’s creaking Victorian railways. But many travelers won’t see these renovations until the early 2030s, leading many to urge the Treasury to commit to clean energy in the north to provide a quicker economic boost.

Michael Mordey, the Labor leader of Sunderland City Council, said he feared Reform UK would “introduce Trump-style climate change denial policies” that would harm the economy if the party was elected.

He said: “We will only continue to attract more of these well-paid jobs for local people in our city if we maintain a Labor Council in Sunderland in May. »