Labour’s net zero blackmail will crash Britain out of the modern world

 If young generations have anything to fear about the future, let them fear Ed Miliband

14 July 2025

Daily Telegraph 

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It is a “threat to the British way of life”. And it would be a “betrayal of future generations” not to take action. The Energy and Climate Change Secretary Miliband stepped up the moral blackmail today as he responded to the latest reports on the weather. But hold on. In reality, with the destruction of jobs, the soaring cost of power, and the shortage of homes, it is Miliband and the Green Commissars around him who are the real threat to future generations – not the backbenchers who are increasingly questioning his policies.

It may come as a surprise to some of us that Ed cares very much about the “British way of life”. Or indeed future generations. But it is not surprising that he is stepping up the rhetoric. He is coming under increasing pressure to justify the vast sums of money he is spending. The former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, still an influential figure in his party, has questioned whether the UK really needs to be a global leader on climate change And many of his own backbenchers are questioning the escalating cost of his plans, especially at a time when budgets are under pressure. 

We can’t ignore the toll that the ideological pursuit of net zero is taking on “future generations”. Whole swathes of industry have now closed down because we have the most expensive electricity in Europe. If any of those future generations were thinking of making a career in engineering or manufacturing they can forget it. It is impossible to build affordable homes because too much land is protected and the regulations are so onerous. If any of those “future generations” want to settle down in a home of their own they can forget about that as well. And if they want to take a couple of holidays a year, or drive a car, as their parents did, they should probably dream on. It won’t be possible. 

The blunt truth is this. Miliband should dial down the simplistic moral blackmail. It doesn’t help anyone. It is not clear Britain needs to be the world leader on climate change, as Tony Blair has pointed out, given we account for less than 1 per cent of global emissions. 

Nor is it clear that solar power is the right option for a country that has never exactly been famous for its sunshine, especially if it involves covering up farmland. As for unproven technologies such as carbon capture we should be careful before spending billions on something that might not work. After all, the costs of all those policies will be borne by the generations to come. 

A real leader would examine how we are reducing carbon emissions, assess the costs, question the value of each technology, and change course where necessary. That would, however, take genuine courage and intellect. Instead Miliband attempts to bulldoze opposition aside with alarmist rhetoric. He might get away with it for now, at least with the Labour Party – but the questions are growing louder all the time.