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10-point Plan: Six Months On
18 May 2021
Lead MP
Kwasi Kwarteng
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
TaxationEmploymentTransportClimateEnergy
Other Contributors: 26
At a Glance
Kwasi Kwarteng raised concerns about 10-point plan: six months on in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister Kwasi Kwarteng presented the UK's progress towards a green industrial revolution, initiated with the Prime Minister’s announcement of a 10-point plan last November. This initiative aims to support jobs throughout the UK and accelerate the country’s path to net zero by 2050. The statement outlined that the 10-point plan is projected to create up to 250,000 jobs, mobilise £12 billion in Government investment, and three times as much from the private sector by 2030. Investments are being made in workforce training for low-carbon transition roles. Since November, Britain has seen an increase of British businesses signing up for the UN’s Race to Zero initiative. The Minister highlighted specific investments such as £95 million towards two offshore wind ports and progress on carbon budgets. He also mentioned the launch of a new UK emissions trading scheme and the publication of industrial decarbonisation strategies that support 50,000 jobs. The plan involves setting out further strategies in heat and building, hydrogen, and transport decarbonisation to achieve net zero by 2050. These actions set the scene for COP26 later this year.
John McDonnell
Lab
Hayes and Harlington
Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that investment in clean steel is essential for achieving net zero emissions? If so, what specific measures does he plan to take to ensure that the UK’s steel industry can transition towards a cleaner future?
Minister reply
The Minister responded by acknowledging the importance of the steel sector and confirming that they are working on ensuring financial support through initiatives like the Clean Steel Fund. However, no detailed timeline or new commitments were provided beyond existing announcements.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Garston and Halewood
Question
Can the Secretary of State outline specific actions being taken to address the underrepresentation of women in clean technology industries? How is the Government ensuring that diversity is a priority within these sectors?
Minister reply
The Minister did not directly answer regarding gender representation but acknowledged investment in workforce skills and training to ensure people have the right skills for new jobs, implying inclusivity in job opportunities.
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Question
Given the importance of hydrogen as a future energy source, can the Secretary of State provide details on how the UK will integrate blue hydrogen into its energy mix without compromising climate goals?
Minister reply
The Minister emphasised the commitment to both green and blue hydrogen, mentioning that investment in carbon capture technology is key. He did not elaborate further on specific measures for balancing hydrogen types.
Barry Gardiner
Lab
Brent North
Question
Can you provide a timeline for the UK emissions trading scheme and clarify whether it will align with EU standards to ensure compatibility?
Minister reply
The Minister confirmed that the scheme is under consultation and will be launched later in 2021, but did not specify alignment with EU standards or provide a detailed timeline.
Jonathan Gullis
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
Does the Secretary of State recognise that significant investment is needed to support workers in high carbon industries during the transition to net zero? Can he outline measures to ensure a just transition for these employees?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged the importance of workforce training and skills development but did not provide specific details on supporting workers directly impacted by the transition.
Ed Miliband
Lab
Doncaster North
Question
The right hon. Member raised concerns about various climate policies, including the failure of the green homes grant, delays in publishing key strategies, inadequate funding for crucial areas like electric vehicles and offshore wind content domestication, underinvestment in clean steel and aerospace sectors, and insufficient investment timelines to meet carbon budgets.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State responded by acknowledging the importance of these issues. He highlighted the upcoming publication of the heat and buildings strategy, mentioned the hydrogen fund and private sector involvement in offshore wind projects, and committed to increasing UK content in offshore wind supply chains.
Greg Clark
Con
Question
The right hon. Member asked about gigafactories for electric vehicles and the future of Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State confirmed ongoing discussions on gigafactories and expressed hope for positive developments in both areas, particularly regarding Vauxhall’s plans to build electric vehicles.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Question
The hon. Member welcomed the statement but raised concerns about delays in hydrogen strategy and carbon capture projects, questioned transmission charges for renewables, and highlighted Scotland's contribution to UK revenues.
Minister reply
Responding, Kwasi Kwarteng stated that the hydrogen strategy is expected shortly, confirmed the road map for carbon capture clusters by 2025 and onwards, and acknowledged ongoing discussions on offshore transmission charges while noting Ofgem’s regulatory role.
Derek Thomas
Con
St Ives
Question
He thanked the Secretary of State for his statement and expressed interest in a low-carbon transport plan involving St Ives, Penzance, and Hayle. He asked if the Minister would meet with him to discuss this and provide support.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State said he would be happy to meet Derek Thomas at any time that fits his schedule.
Darren Jones
Lab
Bristol North West
Question
He questioned the delay in publishing the heat and building strategy, originally expected before COP26 but now delayed.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State explained that discussions across Government delayed the release, but he is confident it will be published soon.
Felicity Buchan
Con
Arundel and South Downs
Question
She welcomed the focus on electric vehicles in the 10-point plan and £1.3 billion investment, asking for a comprehensive network of ultra-rapid charging points to accelerate EV adoption.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State agreed that range anxiety was a significant concern, highlighting the Government’s commitment to developing infrastructure.
Sarah Olney
Lib Dem
Richmond Park
Question
She inquired about the number of energy efficiency jobs created so far and plans for future job creation after the green homes grant was scrapped.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State explained that 50,000 jobs related to the green homes grant, with commitments under a replacement scheme.
Jack Brereton
Con
Hedge End
Question
He welcomed the plans for clean energy and asked about prioritising affordability of bills during the transition towards net zero.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State affirmed that he would keep costs low through measures like a home upgrade grant.
Meg Hillier
Lab Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
She suggested the need for clear metrics to measure progress towards net zero, urging the Secretary of State to report to Parliament.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State agreed to respect the Public Accounts Committee's recommendations.
David Amess
Con
Southend West
Question
He expressed the need for more electric vehicle charging points in Southend and asked about support towards this goal.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State committed to helping Sir David achieve his goals, considering EV charging roll-out as a critical metric.
Justin Madders
Lab
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Question
He referred to the positive comments from Stellantis’ chief executive and urged for swift action on the deal.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State acknowledged Justin’s efforts and stated that progress was being made positively.
Andrew Bowie
Con
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Question
He praised the Acorn project in Banchory as essential to achieving net zero.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State agreed that the project had much to recommend it.
Question
He questioned the figure of a quarter million new jobs by 2030, suggesting closer to one million could be achieved.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State explained that the number is specific to the measures in the 10-point plan and different from broader green-collar job targets.
Jason McCartney
Con
Colne Valley
Question
He supported the Government’s aim for warmer, greener homes and asked about boosting investment in energy efficiency.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State confirmed his focus on £9.2 billion over 10 years for such measures.
Warrington North
Question
Thousands of my constituents work in the nuclear sector, which only this week has seen students from Warrington University Technical College beginning prestigious degree apprenticeships at Sellafield in Warrington—proof that the sector is a vital partner in the skills and levelling-up agendas, meeting our decarbonisation goals and creating high-quality green jobs. The Government have rightly concluded that we need much more nuclear power in the mix to reach net zero. However, under their watch, three large-scale nuclear projects have been abandoned due to the lack of a financing mechanism, which the Government claim to have been working on for four years. Why is nuclear financing more complicated than nuclear science?
Minister reply
I do not think it is. The hon. Lady will remember that the third of the Prime Minister’s 10 points was expressly committed to nuclear power. I was very pleased, as Energy Minister, to visit the nuclear college at Hinkley Point. We are completely committed to this, and we will bring forward in this Parliament legislation that will further commit us to creating more nuclear power in this country.
Question
The 10-point plan recognises the immense value of local jobs in offshore wind production—something that my constituents are anticipating as Barrow and Furness is the home of the second-largest wind farm in the world. However, wind is not the only crucial renewable energy source in Cumbria: nuclear is hugely important and, as the hon. Member for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols) said, we are reliant on it. With that in mind, will my right hon. Friend update the House on the financing policy that sits behind this to enable these jobs to be created?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend will realise that sensitive discussions are being held all the time, but I refer him back to my answer to the previous question. The third point of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan was all about nuclear power. It said explicitly that we are committed to having a decision on a plant before the end of the Parliament.
Tahir Ali
Lab
Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley
Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that wide-scale housing insulation is key to bringing down household emissions? If so, can he explain what possible rationale he had for axing the green homes grant scheme? Will he take this opportunity to publicly apologise to the businesses affected by the shambolic delivery of the green homes grant schemes, including those businesses that his Department failed to pay for the work that was carried out under the scheme in good faith, some of whom were reportedly forced to make staff redundant?
Minister reply
The accusation that BEIS somehow did not pay people who worked on the scheme is a very serious one and I need to investigate it. As I have mentioned, the green homes grant was composed of three elements. One was the decarbonisation of public sector buildings through Salix, the other relied on local authorities to distribute funds to enhance social housing.
Question
Falmouth boasts the deepest natural harbour in western Europe and it is well placed to play a leading role in the UK’s ambition to deploy a gigawatt of FLOW—floating offshore wind—capacity by 2030. FLOW deployment in the Celtic sea alone could create more than 3,000 jobs. Local universities and the private sector have come together to accelerate deployment with a Strength in Places fund application. Will the Secretary of State visit the port of Falmouth with me—perhaps while he is in Cornwall next month—to see the exciting plans for ensuring that Cornwall is at the heart of this emerging sector?
Minister reply
I am not sure which is coming first—St Ives or Falmouth—but I am sure that arrangements can be made for such a visit.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. Will he please outline how the intended £12 billion of Government investment—with potentially three times as much from the private sector—to create and support 250,000 green jobs will be distributed throughout the United Kingdom? In particular, what will happen in Northern Ireland, which currently seems to be increasingly outside of the UK plan but has the potential to play a tremendous role—for example, at Harland & Wolff in Belfast and, indeed, other booming sites of industry throughout Northern Ireland—in achieving our industrial revolution?
Minister reply
I am delighted that the hon. Gentleman has brought that question up. He will know that I speak regularly to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, about investment in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to net zero. The hon. Gentleman will know about the offshore wind opportunities in Northern Ireland, I am particularly excited about the opportunities for hydrogen.
Question
I listened carefully to what the Secretary of State said about the paper he is going to produce this year on heating buildings and about point 2 of the plan, on the hydrogen strategy. Will he make sure that the plan properly recognises that significant numbers of homes, including in my constituency of Forest of Dean, are not on the gas grid, and that we need solutions that work for the people who live in them so that they can have what they want, which is greener heating for their homes that is affordable and deliverable on the necessary timescale?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend will know that in the United Kingdom we have an extremely diverse range of buildings and dwellings, which means that a one-size-fits-all policy just does not work for energy in the UK. There are lots of ways in which we can decarbonise buildings, which is exactly what will be spelled out in the heat and building strategy.
Shadow Comment
Ed Miliband
Shadow Comment
The shadow Minister Ed Miliband critiqued the Government’s approach, highlighting a gap between rhetoric and reality regarding climate action. He criticised the failure of the green homes grant policy and questioned the delay in publishing the heat and building strategy. Miliband also pointed out that progress on electric vehicles falls short of required targets and there is a lack of investment in gigafactories compared to international standards. He raised concerns about offshore wind content not being fully domestic and insufficient funding for steel transition despite previous commitments. Additionally, he noted that hydrogen investments fall short internationally and aerospace jobs have been lost during the crisis. Miliband stressed the need for annual investments rather than over a decade to meet targets and questioned the delayed Treasury’s net zero review. He concluded by urging the Government to provide a comprehensive green new deal instead of piecemeal plans.
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