UKBurnham’s Makerfield victory could make Miliband even more dangerousBurnham said remarkably little about Net Zero during his by-election campaign, but recent reports pubished by his campaign aides suggest his by-election win is unlikely to mean much change on energy. If anything, it raises the prospect of Ed Miliband moving to the Treasury, where he could prove even more influential. As Chancellor, Miliband - who has gone rogue and is no longer speaking to the Prime Minister - would have far greater control over spending and taxation. Rather than abandoning the renewables-first strategy as costs rise, he could seek to shift more of those costs from bills into general taxation and use redistribution to shield households from the political consequences. It also leaves the future of the North Sea in more doubt. The trade unions are unlikely to be reassured. In a separate by-election, which saw the Conservatives take Aberdeen South from the SNP, Unite the Union described the result as a huge wake up call for the government’s oil and gas policies. “The Aberdeen South result is a direct result of failed Labour policies on oil and gas, which have been an abject failure… The industrial vandalism approach by Labour in this sector has been laid bare for all to see.” Badenoch: defence and energy need integratingDuring a speech on defence spending, Kemi Bademoch, the leader of the Opposition, spoke about the importance of having a joined up energy and defence policy at her press conference yesterday. “We have promised to reallocate money from Ed Miliband's Net Zero projects to create a Sovereign Defence Fund of up to £50 billion.” Factory bosses warn of further closuresFactory bosses have issued a plea to the Government to alleviate the cost burden on industry and prevent an exodus of manufacturers. Without urgent government action to bring down energy bills and employment costs, the deindustrialisation of Britain will accelerate in the coming months, costing thousands of jobs across the country, businesses warned. North Sea workers take pay cuts to work in green energy Oil and gas workers are being forced to take significant pay cuts to work in renewables, one of the UK’s biggest trade unions has told MPs. The claims by the GMB union, which represents thousands of oil and gas workers, cast doubt on Ed Miliband’s claims of a “fair energy transition” for employees. It says the renewables sector pays wages up to 30pc lower than the oil and gas industry, employs far fewer workers and operates a “hire and fire” culture that is destroying the UK’s energy communities.
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