Wednesday briefing: Why Labour seems to be walking the walk on the climate crisis
Good morning.
During their election campaign, Labour made it clear that the climate crisis would be a key focus should they make it into government. It looks as if they are making good on that promise. A number of senior cabinet ministers have come out this week, banging the drum for the government’s climate policies and reminding the public and the media that the climate crisis and its effects are at the top of their agenda.
Yesterday, foreign secretary David Lammy made a stirring speech at Kew Gardens in London that presented the climate emergency as the foremost existential crisis facing humanity. On the other side of the capital, energy secretary Ed Miliband delivered his own speech at the Energy UK annual conference, stating that time is of the essence: “The faster we go”, he said, “the more secure we become”.
The urgency and clarity is a marked change from the previous government, but does it go far enough? For today’s newsletter, I caught up with Guardian environment editor Fiona Harvey after Lammy’s speech, to understand Labour’s rejuvenated climate fight. That’s right after the headlines.
Five big stories
Labour | Keir Starmer has declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times, with his total now topping £100,000 after recent support for his lifestyle from Labour donor Waheed Alli.
Middle East | Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel after pagers used by its members exploded across Lebanon simultaneously, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The apparent sabotage attack followed months of targeted assassinations by Israel against senior Hezbollah leaders.
Music | Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Combs had been arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
NHS | A fifth of GPs are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to help with tasks such as writing letters for their patients after appointments, according to a survey.
Aid | UK aid spending will fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the government takes urgent remedial action in the autumn budget, a group of more than 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the aid and humanitarian sector jointly warned on Wednesday.
In depth: ‘Everyone is delighted the UK no longer has a government flirting with climate denial’
Labour’s approach to climate action could not be more different to previous governments. Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss reneged on the work done by Boris Johnson and Theresa May on the climate crisis, opting instead to water down net zero policies and starve relevant departments of funding.
Chris Stark, the former head of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that Sunak had set Britain back because of his government’s failure to prioritise the issue in the way his predecessors in No 10 did. “There was a narrative that was really entrenched with the last government that net zero was a burden,” Fiona says. Sunak veiled his reluctance to prioritise tackling the climate crisis in the language of “pragmatism”, while rolling back, delaying or entirely abandoning pledges and insisting that the responsibility to do more lay with more polluting countries, such as China. Labour’s stance represents a complete reversal in attitude, tone and policy.
“The government is being bold and unapologetic in its messaging and is making the case clearly that this issue is important to the whole world and it’s also important for the UK specifically,” Fiona says. “And if the country doesn’t play its part in [climate] leadership globally, then we are all doomed”.
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The challenges
Ed Miliband has wasted no time in implementing his agenda. Within weeks of being in office as energy secretary, he lifted bans on onshore windfarms, withdrew government support for the country’s most controversial oil and gas projects, and drafted legislation to create a publicly owned power company. The government has also reappointed a climate envoy and installed, for the first time, a nature envoy.
This week, Miliband vowed to take on “nimbys” – obliquely describing them “blockers, delayers and obstructionists” – to push through the rollout of wind turbines, solar farms and pylons. He argued that it was not just about the environment: these policies were highly important for “national security” and “economic justice”.
The big question now is all about money. How are Miliband and Steve Reed, the environment secretary, going to fund all of their ambitious new plans? The urgency and need for swift change is hampered by a Treasury that does not want to spend. Keir Starmer has already told the public to expect “painful” decisions, and Rachel Reeves echoed that sentiment last week. “I’ve been really clear that the budget on 30 October will require difficult decisions on tax, on spending, and on welfare,” she said. Being fiscally restrained is the only path to stability, the chancellor insists, but eight leading economists wrote in a letter to the Financial Times that “under-investment is a central cause of the UK’s poor recent economic performance and the root of many of the problems we now face as a country”.
Despite the passion and energy from certain corners of the cabinet, there is still real hesitation about how much to centre climate and environmental policies in Labour’s agenda. “They don’t see political mileage in it and they’re worried that lots of people are still wedded to an anti-environment attitude that was really amplified during the Truss and Sunak years,” Fiona says. “But putting real investment into this is crucial – how can you bring about this kind of low carbon future if you don’t invest?”
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The reaction
The government’s shift has been welcomed by states, NGOs, activists and diplomats, especially at a time where right-wing populist parties that stand in the way of climate action are gaining power and popularity. In Germany and France, climate policies are becoming a focal point of far-right attacks – to the point where embattled centrist parties are dialling down their plans. Across Europe, the phenomenon has been dubbed the “greenlash”. “Everyone is delighted that the UK no longer has a government that is flirting with climate denial and waging a culture war over the planet. It is so important, especially given the challenges in climate diplomacy because so many progressive governments are in such difficult positions,” Fiona says.
But again, without proper investment, climate action is almost impossible, Fiona adds. As Lammy looks to expand and repair the UK’s climate reputation, “we’ve got to get these things right domestically as well. If you can’t sort out sewage in your own rivers, no one’s going to believe that you can sort out the impact of the climate crisis in Chad”.
For more from Fiona on Labour’s climate breakthrough this Thursday, sign up here to get Down to Earth, our enivronment newsletter
What else we’ve been reading
Inspired by new body horror The Substance, starring Demi Moore, four Guardian writers candidly detail their own ups and downs with body image. Hannah J Davies, deputy editor, newsletters
A decade on from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Libby Brooks spoke with young Scots who were 17 at the time of the referendum about their view on independence now. Nimo
From fermenting them to fashioning them into a rustic-style sauce, you can’t move for under-ripe (or over-ripe) tomatoes, take some advice from Anna Berrill. Hannah
This week’s TechScape newsletter (sign up here!) is on the latest claim by OpenAI: ChatGPT now is capable of “thoughts”. Chris Stokel-Walker assesses how possible this really is. Nimo
I loved Sian Cain’s interview with Giancarlo Esposito, who has made his name playing fearsome baddies on screen but seems like a standup guy. And what a life he’s led! Hannah
Sport
Football | Aston Villa returned to the Champions League for the first time in 41 years and, winning 3-0 against Swiss side, Young Boys. Meanwhile, six-time champion Liverpool came back from a goal down for a 3-1 win against AC Milan in a rematch of the 2005 and 2007 finals.
Scotland | The Scottish government has agreed a rescue deal for a scaled-down version of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be hosted by Glasgow, after Australian authorities offered a “multimillion-pound commitment” to save the event.
Tennis | Emma Raducanu battled to victory over the American Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the Korea Open. A topsy-turvy contest featuring 12 breaks of serve went the way of the former US Open champion after two hours and 43 minutes as she wrapped up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) win in Seoul.
The front pages
The Guardian leads with “Hezbollah vows to strike back at Israel after deadly pager attacks”. The Financial Times reports “Eight killed as Hizbollah members’ low-tech pagers explode in Lebanon”, while the Times has “Exploding pagers wreak havoc among Hezbollah”. The Telegraph is similar with “Thousands of pager bombs rock Hezbollah”. The Mail says “‘Israel’s’ exploding pagers put Middle East on the brink”, while the Mirror characterises the story as “Exploding pager hell”.
Today in Focus
Should we believe Putin’s war talk?
How discussions over long-range missiles led to war threats from Vladimir Putin. Dan Sabbagh reports.
Cartoon of the day | Martin Rowson
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
According to new research from the University of Cambridge, swapping a pint for a two-third measure could be a boon for English drinkers’ health, lessening the impact of alcohol-related harm. Matt Beety of the Bear in Sheffield, which took part in the trial, said craft beer bars were already shifting mentality away from the pint.
While some punters asked why they were not allowed pints, most went along with it, while drinkers who came to watch the football stuck to two drinks rather than return to the bar for a third.
“When we think about tackling alcohol, we often think about affordability and advertising,” adds study leader Prof Dame Theresa Marteau. “We’re highlighting an additional intervention”.
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Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
