Labour’s Green Recovery Plan ‘retreats on key promises’

1. Labour for a Green New Deal (LGND) welcome Labour’s plan for 400,000 new green jobs to tackle the climate crisis and unemployment.
2. But this plan is a retreat from the Green New Deal policies which Labour Party members and trade unions backed overwhelmingly at conference last year and in this summer’s consultation.
3. LGND spokesperson: “We call on Labour to be braver – and keep its promises to fight for a socialist Green New Deal”

Last night, Labour announced a Green Recovery Plan, challenging the Tories to tackle both the climate crisis and unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Labour for a Green New Deal (LGND) welcome Labour’s plan to bring forward £30bn of spending over the next 18 months, creating 400,000 new green jobs. 

However, Labour’s Green Recovery Plan is a retreat on Labour’s commitment to a socialist Green New Deal. The Green Recovery Plan does not commit to public ownership of key industries and does not include existing Labour policies to tackle the climate crisis, create millions of good green jobs and build back better after covid. 

The Labour Party has a mandate for socialist Green New Deal. Labour members and trade unionists backed a socialist Green New Deal at the 2019 Labour conference and then again in Labour’s policy consultation this summer. In this summer’s consultation, more than two-thirds of all responses backed LGND’s radical plans. 

Policies which have not been included in the Labour Party’s Green Recovery Plan include: a £60bn ‘Warm Homes for All’ scheme which could create 250,000 jobs; a National Care Service; and rolling out universal broadband. Notably, there is no mention of public ownership, which has been a key demand of Labour members and trade unions, or a just transition for workers. 

A Labour for a Green New Deal spokesperson said:

“We welcome Labour’s plan for 400,000 green jobs, but call on the party to be braver and go further. Labour has ready-to-go policies which can tackle the climate crisis, create millions of good green jobs and build back better after covid, from Warm Homes for All to a National Care Service to Universal Broadband. In the face of economic, health and climate crises, now is not the time to scale back our ambitions. 

“Labour members and trade unionists demand a socialist Green New Deal. They backed it overwhelmingly at party conference last year and again in this summer’s consultation, in which more than two-thirds of responses supported our campaign’s demands. Labour has a democratic mandate to argue for large-scale investment, expanding public ownership and a just transition for workers. We expect the Leadership to keep its promises and fight for a Green New Deal.”

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