Miliband shows flexibility to keep green agenda alive

Much of the attention at Labour Party Conference will be on the race for Deputy Leader. Following Angela Rayner’s resignation, Lucy Powell and Bridget Phillipson are battling it out to take on the role. This contest has taken on a heightened sense of intrigue as a proxy vote on the Labour Party membership’s verdict on the government’s first year in office. Powell’s sacking as part of the reshuffle that followed Rayner’s resignation has enabled her campaign to act as a conduit for internal criticism of the government, versus the ‘continuity candidate’, Bridget Phillipson. 

Away from the focus on the Deputy Leader battle, new ministers will be bringing forward announcements and making their opening salvos in their briefs to the party membership. One minister who stayed in place, despite briefing from corners of his own party who would have liked to see him ousted, was Ed Miliband. Miliband comes to conference with rumours about a potential leadership challenge to Starmer, which he has strongly denied, and increasing scepticism over the green agenda he has been pushing forward in government. There are growing signs of a watering down on the horizon as the government desperately searches for ways to deliver their pledge to bring down energy bills.

Earlier this week, there were reports that the government is set to soften its position on North Sea oil and gas exploration by allowing “tie backs” — the development of new fields via existing, adjacent ones, using their infrastructure. With pressure rising on the government from President Trump, Reform UK and the unions, this is likely to be an area where we can expect to see some movement at conference and beyond. 

The Liberal Democrats recently shifted their position on net zero targets, moving from a 2045 target to align with the government's 2050 goal. The motion passed at their party conference also outlined support for the rollout of SMRs and a transition plan for North Sea oil and gas workers. 

During President Trump’s state visit last week, he encouraged Starmer to exploit North Sea oil and gas. Trump said “you have a great asset here … it’s called the North Sea. The North Sea oil is phenomenal.” He added during his speech to the UN that: “There’s tremendous oil that hasn’t been found in the North Sea… they essentially closed it by making it so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company, can go there.”

Miliband responded to Trump’s comments this week, when he told Bloomberg TV that the President’s “opposition to wind power and his enthusiasm for fossil fuels is well known.” He added that “we are the duly elected government of the UK and we have a mandate for our mission,” referring to investments in renewables and nuclear power. 

The green agenda is facing significant scrutiny at the moment and Miliband is under heavy pressure to deliver on the government’s election promise to cut energy bills by up to £300 a year. With Reform UK campaigning heavily against net zero targets, pledging to scrap them entirely, Miliband is clearly focused on convincing his colleagues in government that this is still a route worth following. 

Caught somewhere between the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats, the unions, Reform UK and President Trump, Miliband’s commitment to the green agenda remains undimmed; however, his increasing pragmatism is aimed at maintaining the coalition needed to support his plans and undercuts any argument of being driven by zealotry.