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The UK’s new Labour government today set out its legislative priorities after winning the election on 4 July by a landslide. At the official opening of parliament, King Charles III read a speech outlining the bills that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will seek to pass in the coming months and years.
The King’s speech did not hold many surprises: most of the bills announced had already been widely mentioned in the Labour Party’s manifesto and election campaign. Updating planning laws, improving transport infrastructure and reforming the upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords, featured prominently in the speech.
The speech and accompanying briefing document also outline some bills aimed at addressing the climate crisis. Here’s what you need to know about the environmental bills Just announced.
Great British energy
The Labour Party’s plan to create a public clean energy company featured prominently in the party’s election campaign. It was one of six “blueprints” for the Labour Party.Steps for change” presented to voters in the run-up to the election, and Labour’s only flagship promise that directly addressed the climate crisis.
The bill will create Great British Energy, a taxpayer-owned company that will “develop, own and operate assets” through investment in partnership with the private sector. The company will be backed by £8.3 billion ($10.8 billion) and will be based in Scotland, which produces a large share of the U.K.’s renewable electricity.
The Labour Party has already moved quickly to promote renewable energy in the UK, removing a de facto ban on onshore wind farms In the first days of his government, he has also announced a “monitoring mission” to achieve clean energy by 2030, headed by Chris Stark, the former most senior climate adviser to the UK government.
The plan is also framed in terms of the UK’s energy security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused a surge in gas prices across Europe and highlighted the UK’s dependence on the fossil fuel. Labour hopes that increased investment in clean energy production, transport and storage through Great British Energy will help reduce dependence on gas, which will clean up the UK’s energy mix and improve its energy security.
Sustainable aviation fuel
Aviation accounts for a small but growing portion of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, civil aviation emissions accounted for 8 per cent of UK emissions, and with electric aircraft still a distant prospect, this sector is generally seen as one of the most difficult to tackle.
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are produced from alternatives to fossil fuels, such as crops or waste oil. These SAFs are attractive to airline operators because they can be blended with regular jet fuel without requiring significant (and expensive) adaptations to aircraft.
The proposed bill will force fuel suppliers to blend at least 10 percent SAF into their fuel mixes and provide support for companies and investors looking to increase SAF production in the UK. The Conservatives also backed SAF in His manifestoAlthough it is worth noting that the benefits of SAF are disputedand the increase in demand for air travel will lead to an increase in emissions from this sector.
The Crown Estate
The King, through the Crown, is a major landowner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. His holdings include much of the UK’s seabed and, with them, rights to grant permission to build offshore wind farms, lay oil pipelines and store carbon beneath the seabed. In recent years, this marine portfolio has become a lucrative part of the Crown’s holdings.
Labour wants to modernise the Crown Estate by giving it the power to borrow money from the Treasury, thereby freeing up cash reserves to invest in renewable energy projects in particular. It also wants to expand the Crown Estate’s investment powers so it can support other aspects of green infrastructure, such as digital technology for wind farms and port infrastructure.