Miliband & Reeves Clash

Miliband clashes with Reeves over net zero promises. Energy Secretary accused of undermining growth with push to cut carbon emissions. Ed Miliband is facing a Cabinet backlash led by Rachel Reeves over his net zero plans, amid concerns they risk hampering growth and will threaten thousands of industrial jobs. The Energy Secretary is understood to have received pushback from ministers including Ms Reeves, the Chancellor; Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary; and Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, following recent clashes over electric vehicle sales targets and the closure of a major oil refinery. Behind the tensions are fears that Mr Miliband’s department is pushing too hard to cut carbon emissions, which is hurting the competitiveness of key industries such as steel, carmaking and chemicals, according to sources in business and Whitehall. For example, the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery, in Falkirk, will lead to the loss of nearly 500 jobs in April and has partly been blamed by owner PetroIneos on an upcoming ban of new petrol cars from 2030. Elsewhere, a string of chemical plants have been closed or put at risk by rising energy prices – with those in Britain the highest of any developed economy. Calls to relax the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces a rising proportion of carmakers’ sales to be electric, have created another flashpoint.