Labour frontbencher admits he doesn’t have heat pump OR electric car… But still wants them forced on Britons
Patrick Christys grilled Steve Reed over Labour's net zero plans
GB NEWS
Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary has admitted that his home is not acquitted with a heat pump and he does not drive an electric vehicle, but is still hoping for eco measures to be pushed on Britons.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to water down efforts to tackle carbon emissions.
In a speech from Downing Street on Wednesday, Sunak risked the wrath of green-minded Tories by embarking on a major net zero U-turn.
Plans to ban new fossil fuel cars have been put back five years and moves to strip out polluting gas and oil boilers from homes have been weakened.
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The man leading Sir Keir Starmer’s environmental push in his shadow cabinet is Steve Reed, and he has criticised the decision made by the Prime Minister, accusing him of “throwing away the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century”.
He told GB News: “What Labour would do is not cause that damage. By the decisions he is making today, he is going to maintain low economic growth.
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“The whole industry has been gearing up for this, and Rishi Sunak has sewn economic uncertainty.
“They’re letting Britain down and we can’t accept that.”
Patrick Christys has questioned Steve Reed over Labour's net zero policies
GB NEWS
GB News presenter Patrick Christys pressed Reed on whether he is one to adhere to the eco policies he is purveying.
“Do you have a heat pump?” Christys asked.
“No. I have a normal gas-fuelled boiler”, Reed responded.
Christys responded by grilling the Labour Shadow Environment Secretary on the matter, asking him “when” he will be getting one.
“When we’ve got a Labour government who are going to invest in making heat pumps cheaper than the alternative”, he said.
“Labour isn’t going to propose to change these things until that happens.”
Christys continued to probe Reed over his personal commitment to net zero, asking whether he has an electric car.
“No I haven’t got an electric car. If I buy a new one after 2030, I will. This is policy that is set by national government”, he said.
Rishi Sunak risks the wrath of green-minded Tories
PA“We don’t have a national government putting in the infrastructure that means we can move to this.
“We’ve got six years before 2030 and the Government is way behind its targets, that why they’re abandoning them.”
Christys responded by arguing: “Well you could do it”, as Reed looked to justify his decision to not opt for an eco-friendly motor.
Sunak’s green rollback has been met with critics from across the House, with Tories among the dissenting voices.
One dissenting voice is Tory environmentalist Lord Zac Goldsmith, who went as far as to demand a general election over the “economically and ecologically illiterate decision”.
The peer, who quit as environment minister in June with a scathing attack on Sunak’s environmental “apathy”, described it as a “moment of shame” for the UK.
Not all Tories agree with Goldsmith, however, including Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has backed Sunak’s move to water down measures.
The GB News presenter even dubbed Boris Johnson a “net zero zealot” after the former prime minister spoke out against his predecessor’s decision.