GREAT BRITISH POWER
Sir Keir Starmer vows to form a new publicly owned energy company to bring bills down if Labour wins the next election
SIR Keir Starmer wants to set up a state-owned clean energy company to try and force down bills if Labour wins.
In his keynote speech delivered at Labour conference in Liverpool Sir Keir promised to set up "Great British Energy" within a year of winning the keys to No10.
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He said the company would be like French-owned EDF, and produce green and clean energy and create new jobs to boost the economy.
But he didn't set out exactly how much the multi-billion pound promise will cost the hard-pressed taxpayer.
Critics said it would do little to drive down bills, and said more state-run bureaucracy wouldn't work.
And the radical policy delighted the left of the party - who hailed bringing more of the economy under state control.
In his major conference address to the party faithful today, Sir Keir also:
- Vowed to give homes to local people first - and set a radical new target for seven in ten Brits to own their homes
- Threw his weight behind Ukraine hailing 'Slava Ukraini' in the conference hall
- Promised to copy the Tories' plans for points-based immigration system like the Tories for the first time
- Tried to paint himself as Mr Brexit despite voting Remain - saying it was time to make leaving the EU work
- Invoked the spirit of three-time election winner Tony Blair - saying Labour was ready to win big again like in 1997
- Insisted he would take on the Tories over the economy - accusing them of crashing it and losing the confidence of the public to manage the finances properly
- Gave a nod to the late Queen - saying she would inspire the party to 'turn up our collar and face the storm'
Sir Keir said: "We will set up Great British Energy within the first year of a Labour government.
"A new company that takes advantage of the opportunities in clean British power because it's right for jobs, because it's right for growth, because it's right for energy independence from tyrants like Putin."
The Labour leader blasted the Tories for their handling of the energy crisis causing misery across Britain.
Bills were predicted to hit a whopping £5,500 in April next year.
But Liz Truss stepped in this month with a promise to cap gas and electricity prices at £2,500 from October 1.
Sir Keir accused the Tories of allowing too many foreign businesses to own and control vital sources of energy, and said his plans would keep business in the UK.
But critics hit out at Sir Keir's expensive plan for a public firm, saying the last thing the sector needs is the involvement of MORE politicians.
Andy Mayer, Chief Operating Officer and Energy Analyst at the Institute for Economic Affairs, said: “Only the Labour party could look at the current energy mess and think ‘what this needs is more politicians’.
“Great British Energy might involve nationalising current suppliers or creating a new British Leyland for wind farms.
“Either way it will be a disaster, with Ministers picking winners, and civil servants making an expensive mess of deployment.”
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Sir Keir also promised to “turn the UK into a growth superpower” in his keynote speech.
He said the Tories have wrecked their reputation as the party of sound money after seeing the Pound plummet early yesterday.
Setting out his vision, Sir Keir promised to give back Britain its hope.
After a Tory tax-cut bonanza in last week’s mini Budget led to the crashing of Sterling, he hit out: “What we’ve seen from the Government in the past few days has no precedent.
"They’ve lost control of the economy, and for what?
“For tax cuts for the richest one per cent in our society.”
On the war in Ukraine, the Labour leader pledged to never let Putin succeed - but failed to mention our armed forces.
Sir Keir promised to unleash a housing revolution.
He said a Labour government would set a target of 70 per cent of home ownership - but there were no details of how this would be achieved, or by when.
On immigration the party leader promised to control Britain's borders with a "points-based system" - just like the Tories are putting in place.
Insiders said it was his way of admitting that he had finally formally dropped his long-held backing of freedom of movement across the EU.
Uncontrolled immigration was a huge part of why Britain voted to leave the bloc in 2016, but Sir Keir, who voted Remain, said it was now time to make Brexit work.
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In a marked change of direction from the Corbyn years, on Sunday he led delegates in tributes to the Queen and a rendition of God Save the King, the first time the anthem has been sung at the party’s conference.
A new Savanta ComRes poll shows Labour up three to 45 per cent, with the Tories down two to 33.
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