Labour’s clean energy plan will not only cut emissions but lift hundreds of thousands out of fuel poverty | Ed Miliband

During four years in opposition and in the seven months since this government came to office, we have been clear: smart climate policy means not only protecting future generations from the biggest existential threat we face, but fighting to make working people better off today, growing our economy and confronting the economic injustices we face.

In a world where climate policy is being questioned, this government’s message to those in the Tory and Reform parties who say that we should go backwards on climate is simple: you are wrong, and this government is going to speed up, not slow down, the clean energy transition, because that is how to grow our economy and fight for working people through our Plan for Change.

Take last week. On Friday morning, I sat with a group of young renters in a community centre in London. They shared their heartbreaking stories of mould and damp in their homes. Previous governments refused to stand up for them, in part because they didn’t want to ask landlords to make a fair contribution. But this government believes in a basic principle – that every renter deserves a safe and warm home.

That is why we announced that we will ask landlords to invest in energy efficiency upgrades that will make homes warmer and cheaper to run. Half of landlords are already doing this and we think it is only fair and right that we ask all landlords to offer decent standards.

In doing so, yes, we cut emissions by making homes more efficient, but the real prize is about confronting the cost-of-living pressures families face – standing up for renters and lifting hundreds of thousands of people out of fuel poverty. People voted for change and we are determined to deliver it. This is the climate policy this government believes in.

Last Thursday, I was with the prime minister at the UK National Nuclear Laboratory in Preston, announcing a planning statement to speed up the rollout of nuclear power. This is the route to economic growth, enabling our country to seize the opportunities of AI and clean tech. It is also about wages – many of the workers at the lab came on to the site as apprentices and now have skilled jobs with good pay. These jobs are all too few and far between in Britain, but clean energy offers us a route to bring them back.

The net zero economy is the economic growth opportunity of the 21st century. That is why the chancellor has shown such leadership in driving forward with clean energy industries, establishing a national wealth fund to invest in cable factories and clean steel, supporting publicly owned Great British Energy and backing investment in carbon capture jobs in the north-west and Teesside.

Despite these facts, it is undeniable that the climate debate is more contested than it has been for years. Siren voices in the Conservative party and Reform UK say we should give up on action. But the truth is that we face a choice as a country: transform our societies with good economic growth in the interests of current and future generations, or give in to those who defend the economic and social injustices of the status quo as we hurtle towards climate disaster, with the Los Angeles wildfires and record January temperatures just the latest evidence.

With the prime minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, this government is taking a clear position in this fight. Every family has suffered during the cost-of-living crisis because of our dependence on fossil fuels. Unless we change, our country remains stuck on the rollercoaster of global markets, with wholesale gas prices in January 60% higher than a year ago, prices that will feed through to the bills of the British people.

That is why we are racing to protect families with homegrown clean energy that we control – lifting the onshore wind ban, delivering a record-breaking renewables auction and giving the go-ahead to almost three times as much solar in seven months as the previous 14 years combined.

This agenda is about fighting for energy security, lower bills, economic growth and good jobs for the British people today. And by taking ambitious climate action at home, we lay the foundations for working with other countries to protect our children and grandchildren from climate breakdown.

This speaks to a wider truth. Many people believe our country does not work for them. And they are right. From renters in London to apprentices in Preston, the British people support action to protect future generations if we also show that this is a pathway to energy security and good jobs today. This government was elected to deliver on this vision, and that is what we will achieve.

• Ed Miliband is the Labour MP for Doncaster North and secretary of state for energy security and net zero