The UK’s fresh Labour government today set out its legislative priorities following its victory in the July 4 election. King Charles III read a speech at the State Opening of Parliament, outlining the bills that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will try to push through in the coming months and years.
There were few surprises in the King’s speech – most of the major bills announced had been largely unmentioned in the Labour manifesto and election campaign. Updating planning law, improving transport infrastructure and reforming the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, all featured prominently in the speech.
The speech and accompanying briefing paper also outlined several bills to address the climate crisis. Here’s what you need to know about environmental bills freshly announced.
Great British Energy
Labor’s plan to create a publicly owned spotless energy company featured prominently in the party’s election campaign. It was one of six “steps to change”put to voters in the run-up to the election and the only signature Labour promise to directly address the climate crisis.
The bill will establish Great British Energy, a taxpayer-owned company that will “develop, own and operate assets” by investing 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 much of the UK’s renewable electricity.
The Labour Party moved quickly to promote renewable energy in the UK, lifting the de facto ban onshore wind farms in the early days of her government. She also announced a “mission control” effort to achieve clean energy by 2030, led by Chris Stark, once the UK government’s most senior climate adviser.
The plan is also framed in terms of Britain’s energy security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven up gas prices across Europe and highlighted Britain’s dependence on the fossil fuel. Labour will hope that increased investment in clean energy production, transmission and storage through Great British Energy will help reduce its dependence on gas, cleaning up the UK’s energy mix and improving its energy security.
Sustainable aviation fuel
Aviation makes up a small but growing share of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, emissions from civil aviation accounted for 8 per cent of the UK’s emissions, and with electric planes still a long way off, the sector is widely seen as one of the most difficult areas to tackle.
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) 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) aircraft adaptations.
The proposed bill will require fuel suppliers to blend at least 10 percent SAF into their fuel mixes and provide support for companies and investors who want to enhance SAF production in the UK. The Conservatives have also backed SAF in their manifestoalthough it is worth noting that the benefits of SAFs are at issueand increased demand for air travel will mean increased emissions in this sector.
Crown Estate
The King, through the Crown Estate, is the leading landowner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. His holdings include much of the UK’s seabed, with the rights to grant planning permission for offshore wind farms, pipelines and subsea carbon storage. In recent years, this offshore portfolio has become a lucrative part of the Crown Estate.
Labour is seeking to modernise the Crown Estate by giving it the ability to borrow money from the Treasury, freeing up cash reserves to invest in renewable energy projects in particular. It also wants to expand the Crown Estate’s investment powers to support other aspects of green infrastructure, such as digital technology for wind farms and port infrastructure.