Exclusive: 'Will It Be Children Up Chimneys Next?': Minister Blasts Nigel Farage's Plan To Ditch Net Zero

Minister of State at the Department for Energy Security, Sarah Jones, advocated for the government's industrial strategy and net zero policies this week – despite the ongoing chaos within the Labour Party.Sarah Jones faced an unenviable task this week.The Labour minister had to try and promote a year’s worth of work with her Industrial Strategy, knowing she was going to be instantly overshadowed by her party’s internal chaos.Keir Starmer was forced into a humiliating climbdown on the government’s welfare cuts after 126 Labour MPs said they were prepared to vote them down.It was the prime minister’s third U-turn in a month, after he also changed his position on cutting winter fuel payments from pensioners and whether to hold a national inquiry into the child grooming gangs scandal.Jones’ attempt to promote the Industrial Strategy as a way of boosting the economy over the next decade therefore felt rather out of sync with the souring mood among many of her Labour colleagues.But, despite this backdrop of indecision and uncertainty, Jones insisted there was one area where the government would not be forced into a change of position – Net Zero.The plan to achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2050 makes up a key part of Jones’ vision for the future.Net zero is aone of the few policy areas where Labour is not being accused of moving to the right, despite pressure from their conservative opponents.Nigel Farage has condemned the policy as “net stupid zero”, claiming it is destroying jobs and pushing up household bills. A Reform UK government would scrap it, he says.According to the MP for Clacton, net zero “could be the next Brexit, where parliament is so hopelessly out of touch with the country”. Why on earth would someone be against the jobs of the future just for some kind of ideological play? But in an interview with Reform UK, Jones dismissed Farage’s drive to dump Net Zero.“It’s a con what the Reform are saying,” she said. “The reality is jobs and clean energy are growing four times faster than the rest of the economy.“The countries that are investing in sustainability and in clean energy are the ones who will be resilient into the future.”Pointing to Farage’s pledge to re-open coal mines as part of his plan to “re-industrialise” the UK, Jones said: “Is it going to be children up chimneys next or matchstick factories? Where are they going with this policy?”“Climate change is a reality,” she continued, noting how the UK has been affected by extreme weather such as flooding in recent years.“The fact that Reform mayors, for example, are not speaking out against Net Zero because they know there’s really good jobs to be had... these are the jobs of the future.“Why on earth would someone be against them just for some kind of ideological play?”Reform UK has two mayors after May’s local elections: Greater Lincolnshire’s Andrea Jenkyns and Luke Campbell of Hull and East Yorkshire.While former Tory MP Jenkyns has aligned with Farage and called it “Net Zero madness”, Campbell has eased away from the party line recently.He said he would support such green policies as long as they can “create local jobs and help local businesses”, comments which made put him at odds with the Reform hierarchy.Jones said: “We have the geology in this country to really be at the forefront of these new technologies. Why on earth would Reform stand against that?” What do we want people to feel proud of? Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves’ handed the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero a 16% increase in its budget at the recent spending review.But crucially, is this message getting through to voters?Pollsters at More in Common found that while the majority of people are still concerned about climate change, support for Net Zero has dropped.Since April last year, backing for the policy fell by 16 points from 62% to 46%, as respondents shifted to a more neutral stance.Even so, Jones insisted: “I don’t think Reform genuinely are making progress on this line of argument, I don’t think it’s something that the public buy into.”More in Common also found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Brits believe the UK will miss its 2050 target.That scepticism is at odds with the government’s independent watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, which announced this week the UK is on track to achieve net zero by 2050 “provided the government stays the course”.As far as Jones is concerned, there is no chance of Starmer’s government watering down its environmental commitments.She said: “The countries that make the right decisions now are the ones that will be leading the world in 10 years’ time.“What do we want people to feel proud of?”Perhaps that’s a mindset Downing Street could do with adopting right now, too – otherwise there might not be a Labour Party left to see the green future Sarah Jones is trying to build.Related...What Exactly Is Net Zero – And How Does It Affect You?'Muddled And Misleading': Why Tony Blair's Criticism Of Net Zero Misread The RoomKemi Badenoch Says Achieving Net Zero By 2050 Is 'Impossible'Nigel Farage Dubbed 'A Con Artist' For Suggesting Climate Change May Not Be Man-Made

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