The Labour leader called for “rapid green investment” during his two-day tour of Scotland.
“Tackling the climate crisis must be at the heart of everything we do. We are at a critical moment. In less than 100 days, COP26 will be over and our chance to keep the planet’s warming below 1.5°C will have either been grasped or abandoned,” said Starmer. “The UK must rise to this moment and lead by example. That means rapid action to create good, green jobs across the country. And it means a proper strategy to buy, make, and sell more in Britain, to create good, unionised jobs in clean energy and through supply chains.
“Nobody here in the UK can afford for this issue to be yet another example of Boris Johnson bluster. We need real action, now. It is time for a Green New Deal.”
Figures from the ONS show that more than 75,000 (full-time equivalent) jobs have been lost in low-carbon and renewable sectors between 2014 and 2019: 33,800 direct jobs and 41,400 in their...