Labour folk tell me privately that their plan for a publicly
owned “national champion” as they call it, Great British Energy, polls very
well – particularly with former Conservative voters.
Keir Starmer compares his plan to what other countries have
– such as Ørsted in Denmark and Vattenfall in Sweden.
The crux of it is attempting to ensure there is a proper
economic dividend – ie jobs – to the revolutions that are coming in green
energy.
And by placing GB Energy in Scotland – the precise location
is not yet known – it is also a transparent badge of the UK union; making the
case for the benefits of the United Kingdom, as opposed to an independent
Scotland, the SNP’s dream.
But, Sir Keir still has some persuading to do over his plans
for North Sea oil and gas.
He wouldn’t grant any new exploration licences. Trades
unions and others fret that this will cost jobs now, because it will put off
companies investing in the future, conscious a Labour government might be
close.
Labour insist “there is no cliff edge,” there will be oil
and gas extracted from the North Sea for decades, and they want to manage a
smooth transition from oil and gas to greener alternatives.
“We are not going to decimate communities,” says Anas
Sarwar, Labour’s leader in Scotland, drawing a parallel with what happened to
some places when coal mines closed.
But there are some jitters about Labour’s plans, including
among some of those often loyal to the Labour cause.
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