Blair’s attack on net zero policies a ‘valid and important contribution’ – Reed

Sir Tony Blair’s attack on “irrational” net zero strategies is a “valid and important contribution” to the debate, the Environment Secretary has said.

The Labour former prime minister criticised any strategy that limits fossil fuels in the short term as “doomed to fail”.

He argued the current climate approach “isn’t working”, with the debate having “become irrational” and people “turning away from the politics of the issue because they believe the proposed solutions are not founded on good policy”.

He’s making a valid and important contribution to a very significant debate that we’re having

In the foreword for a report from the Tony Blair Institute, he wrote: “In developed countries, voters feel they’re being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know that their impact on global emissions is minimal.”

Downing Street had defended the Government’s net zero policies, saying the approach has little impact on people’s lives.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed told Times Radio he does not agree that Sir Tony’s intervention is a “public tantrum”.

The minister said: “He’s making a valid and important contribution to a very significant debate that we’re having.

“I agree with much of what he said, but not absolutely every word and dot and comma of it.”

He said the transition to clean power provides more energy security for Britain and the Government is asking people to take action because it “breaks our dependency on fossil fuels and the likes of Vladimir Putin”.

A spokesperson for Sir Tony’s think tank TBI said its report is clear that it supports the Government’s 2050 net zero targets.

They said the UK Government’s approach is “the right one” in terms of pursuing carbon capture technology, developing new nuclear power, smart grids and financing renewable solutions in developing economies.

The report notes that “ongoing domestic decarbonisation efforts in all countries remain vital for reducing emissions and delivering a sustainable future”, they added.

“In the short term – and we emphasise short term – fossil fuels will continue to be a large part of the global energy supply, particularly in developing countries who need to meet the immediate and increasing energy demands of their people as their economies develop.”

They went on: “People support climate action, and it is vital that we keep the public’s support for how we do it.”

Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said Sir Tony’s criticism is a “clear message” that the Government needs to rethink its approach to net zero.

She said the sentiment chimes with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s stance that current net zero targets are impossible to reach, which marked a policy U-turn for the Conservatives.

“If Tony Blair, even Tony Blair, doesn’t agree with the Labour Government, then that is quite a clear message, I would imagine, to them, that they have got to rethink this,” Ms Atkins told Sky News.

Mrs Badenoch on Tuesday pointed to blackouts in Spain and Portugal as an example of the dangers of “rushing ahead” with plans for a transition to clean energy without the right infrastructure in place.

She said she believes a reliance on renewable energy is likely behind the widespread power outages that hit those countries on Monday, which Downing Street has dismissed as unfounded.

Mr Reed said the UK must wait for an investigation to determine what caused those power cuts before learning lessons to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s energy network.

In his intervention, Sir Tony wrote that global trends including the expected rise in fossil fuel use and the doubling of airline travel over the next 20 years undermine current climate policies.

“These are the inconvenient facts, which mean that any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail,” he wrote.

He argued there should be more focus on emerging technologies such as nuclear fusion, sustainable aviation fuel and carbon capture.

Downing Street insisted on Tuesday the Government’s approach to reaching net zero “treads lightly on people’s lives, not by telling them how to live or behave”.

A No 10 spokesman highlighted the economic opportunities in the push towards renewables and said they would “drive growth, lower bills and boost living standards”.