Jobs and Growth in a Low-carbon Economy

Part of Opposition Day — [Un-Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 4:35 pm on 5 March 2012.

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Photo of Caroline Flint Caroline Flint Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 4:35, 5 March 2012

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his courtesy in acknowledging that the Labour Government achieved a number of important milestones in renewable energy, and showed leadership worldwide in setting climate change targets and targets for the reduction of carbon emissions that were and continue to be challenging. However, I do not accept the woeful description of what we did in government. We doubled renewable energy generation and established Britain as a world leader in offshore wind capacity and in the prototype development of wave and tidal technology, but our achievements are now under threat. As a result of this Government’s mixed messages and failing policies, investment in green growth in the UK is falling. For instance, investment in wind energy fell by 40% in the first year they were in power.