Environment Secretary Steve Reed has defended the Government's net zero policies after criticism from former Prime Minister Tony Blair, describing his comments as "helpful".Blair had suggested the Government's approach was "doomed to fail", but Reed stood firm on the administration's strategy.FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00What about leaders like Tony Blair? He says policies doomed to failure. What would you say in retort to that?
00:12Well, I mean, I just explained why we're doing what we're doing. 75% of carbon emissions come from fossil fuels.
00:18So at the same time as dealing with those issues, we're also taking back control of our own energy so that we control it rather than Vladimir Putin.
00:27That enhances national security. It grows the economy and it keeps prices lower for households in the country.
00:33I think all of that seems to me a very good thing to do.
00:36Tony Blair would know all of that. So what's his game? What's what's what's he doing?
00:40What's the need for saying this, you know, dishing your policy the way he's been doing?
00:49Well, he's saying as well that he wants to see more investment in technology to to capture and store carbon.
00:56And I agree with what he's saying there. So this government has invested is investing, I should say, 22 billion pounds in that technology.
01:05That's a record. We've never invested as a country that much in the technology.
01:09And it means rather than just stopping using fossil fuels, and we all know we're going to have to keep using them for decades to come, we can capture the carbon that they emit and that they emit and store it.
01:20So it's a two pronged approach, if you like. On the one hand, taking control of our energy so we can keep supplies secure and prices down.
01:27But on the other, investing in these new carbon capture and storage technologies that mean that we can live with fossil fuels because we know this transition is going to take some time.
01:37Are you backtracking on net zero? Because another theory as to why Sir Tony Blair has made this intervention now is because he's been informally advising Sir Keir Starmer.
01:46And he's been given the go ahead to make this intervention, because if you look at your policy in recent months, you've recently walked back on the ban on new hybrid vehicles by 2030.
01:58And you've supported the expansion at Heathrow, which we know is a major source of emissions.
02:07Well, I'm sorry, there's a train going behind me right now, but you have to be pragmatic with these things.
02:13We have to manage the transition in a way that people and the economy can go along with it.
02:18I think he's absolutely right to point that out. But pragmatic is what we're being.
02:22But I don't want us to be dependent for our energy on Vladimir Putin.
02:25I want us to take back control of our own.
02:27I think most British people would agree with that.
02:31And I think we do need to invest more in carbon capture and storage.
02:34But that's why the government's invested this £22 billion.
02:38I think it's helpful that Tony Blair's raised this, actually, because it is a concern that people have in the elections that we're facing.
02:45And it's good that it gives the opportunity to people to come and have this debate.