Political opinion with Steve Yemm MP: We need a proper plan to move forward with Net Zero
Like many of us who are from Mansfield and the surrounding villages, I grew up in a mining family. My dad and his brothers worked down the pit, and I saw first-hand what happened when coal was shut down overnight with no real plan to support our area under Thatcher. We’re still living with the consequences today and this community deserves better.
That’s why I am behind this Labour Government’s drive to reach Net Zero. Not only is it essential for our planet and future generations, but it offers a real opportunity for highly-skilled, well-paid jobs that could revitalise industrial areas like ours, left behind by too many politicians for too long.
Just last week, ministers announced the first ever national plan to recruit the next generation of clean energy workers, with another 15,000 jobs expected to come to the East Midlands alone in the next five years. Jobs that will be reliable, jobs that will thrive on the skills embedded in our town, jobs that will provide a good wage in working people’s pockets.
Compare that to Reform’s policy of wanting to put punitive new taxes on investment in domestic clean energy, threatening these jobs of the future – our children’s future – and making us more vulnerable to the whims of Putin.
Of course, we need a proper plan to move forward with Net Zero and to take people – and businesses – with us.
Take the Net Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, which requires carmakers to sell a rising share of electric vehicles each year or face large fines. We know it is a challenge for some firms in our area, like Toyota, who support thousands of jobs across the East Midlands, and I have heard the concerns from unions, local businesses, and those in the supply chain.
As your Labour MP, I am having an open dialogue with ministers, local employers, trade bodies and the workers themselves about the problems faced in this area, and I know the government understands that we need a transition plan that supports British manufacturing and working people. Protecting jobs and creating new ones is at the heart of its plans.
So let’s invest in skills, innovation, and electric vehicle production here at home. Not only can we lead the world on Net Zero, but, if we get this right, we can have both a cleaner future and a stronger economy with working people at the heart of it.