Labour peer demands Ministry of Defence takes over UK energy grid in attack on renewable 'fantasy'

He believes that without reliable and affordable power, none of Britain’s other ambitions can survive.

Speaking to GB News ahead of delivering the Global Warming Policy Foundation’s annual lecture last night, Lord Glasman said: “I am calling for the national grid to become part of the Ministry of Defence and part of national security.

"The grid is outdated and incapable of absorbing energy and is not fit prepared.

"We need energy self-sufficiency, and this is a matter of national security."

He used his lecture to set out a radical blueprint for Britain’s energy future, arguing that warm homes, secure industry, and a stable electricity system should be treated as core elements of defence - alongside the army, navy and nuclear deterrent.

Lord Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour movement which aims to promote family, faith, and work, said the current system leaves the country dangerously exposed.

“The national grid needs complete restoration and net zero is a fantasy. We need clean, abundant, cheap energy.

"We need to intensify our nuclear and put coal back on the table as well as fossil fuels and North Sea gas,” he said.

He also claimed current plans - heavily reliant on wind and solar - would leave Britain just “five hours” from “the lights going off” if the weather failed.

Lord Glasman said: “The current plans will mean that we have five hours of storage before the lights go out if we are solely reliant on renewables as the plan is.

“Let’s stop talking about this fantasy - it’s got to be a reorientation. This is a fundamental aspect of national security.”

In his lecture last night, Lord Glasman argued that “it is good to be warm”, adding: “Energy is a fundamental common good that is required for our national security, industrial strategy, and artificial intelligence.

"Neither free market capitalism nor state socialism can keep the home fires burning. A new approach based on older traditions is required.”

With Britain facing the highest electricity prices in the developed world, Lord Glasman called for a return to a more “historically informed” view of energy as the foundation of national strength - not just a climate policy tool or a commodity traded on global markets.

Lord Glasman told The People's Channel that he is not opposed to cleaner energy but believes the rush to net zero has ignored the realities of how much reliable power a modern economy needs.

“The world isn’t coming to an end, and we are being played by the environmental lobby to create a sense of crisis. They believe it,” the Labour peer said.

“I’m not denying our energy needs to be cleaner and renewables could play an important role, but we are not there yet and we need to burn and industry to thrive and if we keep going in this direction, we will not be able to heat and light our homes and industry will suffer.”

He added that he has been following the climate and energy debate for more than two decades - including during the era of Ed Miliband’s climate legislation - but believes the consensus has now gone badly wrong.

The annual Global Warming Policy Foundation lecture - which aims to promote educational research on climate change - comes as the political left is increasingly split over the costs and consequences of net zero.

Many experts are raising fears about the future of energy-intensive industries, from steel to chemicals, and the jobs that depend on them.

The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) says Lord Glasman is arguing for a new energy framework rooted in “shared obligations” and “respect for skilled labour”, rather than a top-down technocratic approach driven by targets from Whitehall and international bodies.

GWPF director Lord Mackinlay added: “Lord Glasman’s lecture could not be more timely. At a moment when our energy system is under real pressure, he is giving voice to concerns that are now shared by people from all ends of the political spectrum.

"His call for a more responsible approach to energy will resonate with anyone who understands that warmth, industry, and national security are not optional comforts, but the foundations of a stable and prosperous country.”

Lord Glasman's intervention is being seen as significant because of his Labour roots and his influence on debates inside the party over work, family and the “common good”.