'Climate denial' should be made a criminal offence, claims Labour donor Dale Vince
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| Lee Anderson repeats ‘simple’ question to Ed Miliband SIX times in tense Commons showdownEd Miliband addressed MPs in Parliament yesterday and set out Met Office findings that detailed how the UK was already hotter and wetter as a result of climate change
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Labour donor and green energy industrialist Dale Vince has called for climate denial to be made a "criminal offence" because of the "incredible harm" it will cause.
Vince posted to social media in support of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who criticised the Conservatives and Reform UK for their views on net zero goals.
Miliband told The Times the two parties would have to "answer future generations" to explain why they chose to slow the fight against climate change.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said it was "unpatriotic" of parties such as Reform to oppose net zero goals.
In response to Miliband's comments, Vince, who is the founder of energy company Ecotricity and has previously donated more than £5million to the Labour Party, wrote to X: "Good move from Ed, it’s time to tell it like it is.
"I’d make climate denial a criminal offence myself - given the incredible harm that it will cause, even by slowing down progress to net zero."
Addressing MPs in Parliament on Monday, July 14, the Energy Secretary set out the findings of a study led by the Met Office that detailed how the UK was already hotter and wetter as a result of climate change.
The findings also said Britain faced a greater number of extreme weather events.
Dale Vince has called for climate denial to be made a criminal offence
Following Miliband's presentation of the Met Office report, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson asked the Energy Secretary a question he said he had "already refused to answer".
"How much would the Earth’s temperature reduce by if the UK became net zero tomorrow? Simple question. Simple answer," the Reform MP said.
Miliband refused to give Anderson a number and instead spoke about the importance of Britain’s role in driving global efforts against climate change.
He said: “The answer, which he just does not want to accept is this, if he just listens.
Ed Miliband told Anderson 'just listen' in a tense moment in the House of Commons yesterdat
“I believe in British leadership and Britain’s ability to make a difference. When we passed the Climate Change Act, 60 countries followed.
“When we legislated for net zero, many countries followed. He talks Britain down, I believe in Britain.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that the UK's transition to a net zero economy will require taxpayers to fork out more than £800billion over the next two decades.
This substantial sum comprises nearly £9.9billion each year for technology investments, including upgrades to the electricity grid.
Nigel Farage has meanwhile urged Reform UK-led councils to scrap climate emergency targets
The OBR's analysis showed that technology investments will dominate the costs initially, before declining tax receipts become the primary financial burden as the transition progresses.
It warned that climate change itself also poses additional financial risks beyond transition costs.
This week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage urged councils run by his party to ditch climate emergency targets amid concerns they are "massive diversions of time".
The Clacton MP said it is not up to councils to deal with "global issues" and it would not make a difference if the plans were scrapped.
"They need to be scrapped. It’s not the job of county councils to deal with global issues, and it wouldn’t make any difference at all if they were scrapped, Farage told The Telegraph.
"It costs money and they are a massive diversion of time. It’s virtue-signalling."