Ed Miliband let rip in the Commons yesterday as he called out his counterpart in the shadow cabinet over her environmental credentials.
The energy security and net zero secretary slammed Claire Coutinho, who had his job in the last government, after she criticised Labour’s new carbon capture plans.
The Tory frontbencher claimed the policy was “carbon accounting gone mad,” and suggested Labour’s attempts to reduce UK carbon emissions would only lead the country to rely more on imported oil and gas.
But Miliband described her words as “nonsense,” and criticised the “years of neglect under the previous administration” when it came to climate issues – before getting personal.
He said: “I think she’s got a decision to make, which is, she began her life, her political career in the Conservative environment network.
“And now she’s ended up backing a net zero sceptic for the Tory leadership,” alluding to Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly attacked the UK’s statutory climate targets in her leadership campaign.
“I think it’s a little bit sad!” Miliband added. “I think she should take some time and reflect on that.”
The cabinet minister also attacked Coutinho’s “brass neck” for slamming the closure of an oil refinery in Grangemouth, Scotland, and a blast furnace in Port Talbot, Wales.
He said: “She has the brass neck to say that the problems at Grangemouth and Port Talbot are because of the negligence of this government.”
He claimed the closure of Grangemouth was already in the works when his party got into power, adding: “I’ve had more conversations with my counterpart in the Scottish government than probably 10 years of Tory ministers because they just weren’t interested.”
“And we should be incredibly angry about this,” Miliband said, pointing repeatedly at his opponent and slamming the despatch box.
He then promoted the joint report between the UK and Scottish governments, Project Willow, which is looking into the long-term future of Grangemouth.
He said: “So what did we do? We funded the Project Willow, which they didn’t fund, we added to the growth deal, which they didn’t do, and we actually said we’re going to have a national wealth fund with a potential Project Willow.
“None of the things coming from her!”
“She just wasn’t interested,” he said, spreading his arms wide in the chamber to show his exasperation.
Miliband insisted this was “ideological, not accidental,” pointing at the opposition benches.
“They didn’t have an industrial strategy, because they don’t believe in an industrial strategy,” he claimed.