Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has vowed that the Labour government will defeat those seeking to derail the UK’s net zero agenda, arguing that the green transition will succeed by delivering thousands of new jobs in Britain’s former industrial heartlands.
Speaking at the launch of a £1 billion investment scheme to boost the country’s offshore wind supply chain, Miliband said the government would win the political and economic case for net zero, not just through policy but by driving job creation in areas historically left behind.
“We’re going to win this fight, and we’re going to win this fight partly because of all the jobs that these companies are creating with us,” Miliband told an energy industry conference on Tuesday. “The forces that want to take us backwards, the forces that oppose net zero, will have to reckon not just with the government. They will have to reckon with all these companies that are creating jobs.”
The remarks were widely seen as a pointed response to the Reform UK party, which has vowed to scrap the country’s legally binding net zero targets if elected, and to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has described the 2050 goal as “impossible” and signalled her intent to withdraw the party’s support for it.
The new investment scheme, unveiled at the event, aims to catalyse a “green industrial revolution” by channelling support into supply chain companies across Teesside, Scotland, south Wales and East Anglia. These regions—once the heart of Britain’s manufacturing might—are expected to be at the forefront of a new wave of clean energy growth.
The £1 billion package includes:
• £300 million from Great British Energy, the state-backed renewable energy developer
• £300 million in match funding from the offshore wind industry
• £400 million from the Crown Estate, which leases the UK seabed for offshore wind developments
The government expects the funding to unlock thousands of long-term skilled jobs, from turbine manufacturing and electrical engineering to windfarm construction and ongoing maintenance.
The announcement comes as the UK wind sector continues to expand rapidly. A new report from RenewableUK, the clean energy trade body, revealed that the UK wind industry now employs 55,000 people, with 40,000 in offshore wind alone—a 24% rise in just two years.
To meet the government’s plan to quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030, the industry will require between 74,000 and 95,000 additional workers, pushing the total wind workforce to more than 112,000 by the end of the decade.
The largest concentration of these new jobs is expected in the east of England and Yorkshire and the Humber, both areas where Reform UK made significant gains in recent local elections. New jobs are also projected for Scotland, ahead of its 2027 local elections.
Miliband said the clean energy transition offers not just an economic opportunity, but a chance to renew the social contract between government and communities that were neglected under previous industrial policies.
“This is about more than megawatts and investment figures—it’s about giving people a future. A net zero economy will be one that works for every part of the country, and the transformation is already under way.”
Labour’s push to accelerate clean energy investment comes against a backdrop of increasing political division over the cost and pace of the net zero transition. While Labour remains committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, Reform UK and sections of the Conservative Party have sought to position climate policies as economically damaging and electorally risky.
However, business leaders in the renewables sector have broadly welcomed the government’s approach. The investment package, combined with the establishment of Great British Energy, signals a more hands-on industrial strategy focused on scaling up domestic manufacturing, reducing supply chain bottlenecks, and securing energy independence.
As offshore wind remains central to the UK’s net zero strategy and energy security plans, Labour appears determined to anchor its green agenda in the creation of visible, well-paid jobs that will resonate with voters across political divides.
By making the case that net zero is not just an environmental imperative but a pathway to national renewal, Miliband and the government hope to win over critics and reframe the climate debate in terms of economic dignity, regional regeneration and long-term resilience.
As Miliband put it: “We are not just backing net zero. We are backing Britain.”
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Ed Miliband says Labour will ‘win fight’ against UK net zero critics with offshore wind jobs push
