Ed Miliband pledges Labour will ‘reindustrialise the East Midlands’ and create 46,000 jobs during visit to Sutton

Labour has said that one of its ‘first steps’ in government would be to set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company that will invest in clean power to boost energy security, create jobs and cut bills for good.

Early investments will include wind and solar projects in communities around the country, as well as making Britain a world-leader in cutting edge technologies such as floating offshore wind.

Mr Miliband spoke about Labour’s plans during a visit to BRC Reinforcement in Sutton, along with Ashfield’s Labour candidate, Rhea Keehn.

Mr Miliband said: “Our Green Prosperity Plan is going to be investing through Great British Energy, in new energy production, through our warm homes plan we will be investing in energy efficiency so that’s jobs for plumbers and welders and electricians, and it’s about generating jobs for our National Wealth Fund, in things like clean steel.

“I’m really excited about BRC and the work they’re doing. People wonder where are the future jobs going to come from and will I have to move out of an area in order to get on and we say, no, you shouldn’t have to get out to get on.

“And companies like BRC are showing that and they will do better if we have a Labour government investing in the clean energy of the future.

“Lots of people think clean energy is about the energy crisis, and it is and that’s important to people, but I also know that at the top of people’s minds is the cost of living crisis and where are the good jobs of the future going to come from, and this is where the good jobs of the future are going to come from and we are absolutely committed.

“I know that if we are in government and if Rhea and myself are privileged enough to be elected, she’ll be banging down my door saying, you came to Ashfield and we’ve got to make sure we make a difference to people in Ashfield and that is our commitment.”