Ed Miliband hit out at prime minister Rishi Sunak over his green credentials shortly before he headed to the UN climate change summit.
The shadow climate change secretary, and former Labour leader, reminded Sky News that Sunak initially intended not to go to the pivotal meeting of world leaders, COP27, until he U-turned due to the intense backlash.
Miliband also criticised the government’s whole approach to fossil fuels at a time when Europe is struggling with an energy crisis due to its reliance on Russian oil and natural gas.
Speaking on Sunday, he said “it makes no sense” for the government to continue to ban wind power while fossil fuels become more and more expensive.
“It’s now cheaper to save the world than to destroy it,” He explained: “Renewable power – solar, wind and other forms of zero carbon energy are cheaper than fossil fuels.
“This matters so much, because at home and abroad, we need to be all-in on those renewable and zero-carbon alternatives.”
He said the government’s on-shore wind ban, which has been in place for seven years, was “terrible”.
″That is driving up [people’s] bills,” Miliband continued. “It’s already driven up their bills by £100, it will continue to drive up their bills by £15 billion between now and 2030 if this ban stays in place.
“So the government is saying no to the cheapest, cleanest form of power.”
The rising cost of energy bills pushed the government to “freeze” the average home’s annual bill at £2,500 for six months, as they had been due to increase to £3,500 in October.
This comes down to a surge in demand after the global Covid lockdowns and a restriction in supply, as Russia tries to punish those who support Ukraine in the ongoing war.
Miliband also pointed out another problem with the government’s refusal to lift the ban on on-shore wind power.
He said: “And by the way, it’s going back on a promise that Jacob Rees-Mogg made when he was the business secretary, where he said they would bring the consenting regime for on-shore wind in line with other infrastructure.
“It makes no sense, and it makes a complete joke frankly, of Rishi Sunak, the man who couldn’t even decide if he was going to go to Cop27.
“It makes a complete joke of the idea that he’s somehow a leader on clean energy.”