Zonal energy pricing will not go ahead if it raises bills, Ed Miliband says

The Government will not split the UK’s energy market into regions if it raises people’s bills, Ed Miliband has said.

The Energy Secretary is considering proposals for zonal pricing in the UK power market.

Under the plan, different areas of the country would pay different rates for their electricity, based on local supply and demand.

Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here

Critics fear the move could lead to higher bills in the South East of England, according to the Telegraph.

But Mr Miliband insisted the reforms were far from finalised, and told LBC: “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do.

“Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here.”

The Government will make a “calm and considered decision” on the matter, the Energy Secretary had earlier told Sky News.

Elsewhere, Mr Miliband has introduced an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill, which means the state-owned energy company will have to ensure it does not source materials from slave labour when building new solar panels and wind turbines.

The amendment, introduced on Wednesday, is particularly aimed at eliminating forced labour linked to the Chinese state’s alleged mistreatment of minority groups from the supply chains of British clean power.

While the Energy Secretary acknowledged he felt “queasy” about dealing with other nations that have a record of using slave labour, he insisted the UK could not stop engaging with them entirely as “multi-lateralism” is needed to tackle the climate crisis.

China is the “biggest global emitter”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, adding: “We’ve got to engage with China. We’ve got to persuade them to come on this journey, because this is a collective action problem.

“Unless we do this together, we’re not going to tackle the issue we face, and we are going to be held in infamy, frankly, by future generations.”

The Prime Minister has meanwhile announced £300 million funding for domestic offshore wind supply chains as part of a push to secure clean energy investment in the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer, making the announcement before an energy security summit in London, said the fast-tracked funding would create jobs and strengthen UK security, as he called for international investment in British clean energy.

“Let my message to the world go out: come and build the clean energy future in Britain,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister, ministers and business leaders are meeting in London on Thursday for a two-day summit on the future of energy security which is hosted by the UK Government and International Energy Agency.

Before the summit environmental campaigners said developing homegrown renewable resources as well as insulating draughty homes were critical for energy security.

Mike Childs, from Friends Of The Earth, urged the Government to set a legally-binding target to make the UK a renewable energy superpower and a net exporter of clean, green energy by 2050.

Greenpeace’s Doug Parr said it was encouraging the Government was trying to capitalise on the growing green economy, but he warned: “Our dependence on volatile fossil fuels is the reason so many families are struggling with sky-high bills right now.

“Any row-backs on the Government’s clean energy plan would only serve to make oil and gas bosses even richer, while the rest of us continue to suffer the consequences, including staying beholden to petrostates.”