Ed Miliband MP: speeches

Speeches

• 10 Jun 2025 · Rooftop Solar Power · Hansard source

  More

  Let me first wish the hon. Member luck on her leadership bid. Anyone who wants to be a leader of a political party should take the idea under advisement, in my experience. I see the former Liberal Democrat leader, the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron), nodding. We want the future homes standard to really work. It was a plan that the previous Labour Government had for 2016, but the Conservative Government got rid of it. We want it to make a real difference, and it makes financial sense, because it means that we do not have to retrofit homes at much greater cost.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Rooftop Solar Power · Hansard source

  More

  There are a few questions in there, and I will try to answer them as briefly as I can. Even for the biggest solar ambitions, less than 1% of land would be covered. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that we need solar rooftops too. That is why we have put an end to years of dither and delay, and last week announced that new homes will have solar panels fitted as standard. It makes total sense.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  As with any application, there is a process that my Department will go through. We will look at any application in a fair and objective way.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Lady raises a really important point about the level of standing order charges, and this is something that Ofgem has consulted on. The complexity is that if we redistribute standing order charges, it can have significant adverse distributional effects, but Ofgem is seeking to have low standing order charges for some customers.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  Yes. That sounds really good.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Gentleman raises a really important point. Minimum half-hourly charges will also help customers to use smart solutions and make savings, and all the evidence collected under the last Government shows that when consumer-led flexibility was offered, people really took advantage of it.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Lady is 100% right—clean, home-grown power is the answer—so that is an unequivocal yes.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  We said we would cut bills by up to £300, and that is absolutely what we are determined to do.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  What is the point of the hon. Gentleman’s party?

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  As with Acorn, we think Viking is a really important project. I am very proud of the progress we made on track 1, and we are obviously looking at both Viking and Acorn in the spending review.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  I know the right hon. Gentleman has an important interest in this project. We continue to have discussions with Xlinks and obviously we are happy to brief him on those discussions.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  This is like conspiracy theories gone mad. I feel like we have entered a whacky world. Let us keep our eyes on the prize. As a country, we are vulnerable because of our exposure to fossil fuels. This Government have one mission alone: to get clean, home-grown power, so that we take back control.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Gentleman says that bills have gone up, but let me give him a little basic lesson: they have gone up because we are exposed to fossil fuel prices. The only way to bring them down is by having sources of clean, home-grown power that we control.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  As we discussed earlier, the CCC raised an important issue that we need to look at. The key question on this so-called rebalancing is that it must be looked at in the context of understanding the principled case, while also ensuring that if we go down that or another route, we do so in a way that is fair. That is the work that my Department is engaged on.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Gentleman raises a really important issue. Rolling out electric car infrastructure is incredibly important. If he writes to my Department, we will ensure that he gets the best possible reply.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  The right hon. Gentleman and I do not necessarily agree on everything, but on this we do agree. The transformation of the West Burton site from a fossil fuel-fired power station to a fusion power plant is an incredibly exciting project, and we should all be battling for it.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend raises a number of important issues. It is about having a tough regulator in Ofgem, it is about smart meters that work, and it is about every decision the Government take seeking to tackle fuel poverty. That is why I was incredibly pleased that we announced the extension of the warm homes discount to an extra 2.7 million families, with an extra £150 next winter to help families. That is what this Labour Government are all about.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  I support the Acorn project; it is really important. For reasons that the hon. Member will understand, the right time to make decisions will be at the spending review in June.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  I am massively in favour of solar panels on swimming pools and lidos—I am an occasional lido user myself—so I am fully on board with the hon. Gentleman’s point. I will pass it on to colleagues in government.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  It is a particular pleasure to end with the hon. Gentleman. Here it is: a decision for all Members of the House to make. We are on the rollercoaster of the fossil fuel markets; we have no control over them. The mission of this Government is to take back control with clean, home-grown power. I urge him and Members across the House to support taking back control.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  This is hard, partly because of the fiscal backdrop, but we are working on a comprehensive plan so that we can help not just the poorest—we want to help those in fuel poverty—but people across the income spectrum through a more universal offer. If we can get funding for up-front investments, there will be massive paybacks; that is the chance. We all know that. It is a hard nut to crack, but we are doing our best to do so.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  We are absolutely determined to build the manufacturing base in this country. I mentioned the investment in XLCC. That is a crucial part of building the supply chains. The supply chains have been eroded over a decade or two; we are determined to build them up.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  I am glad the hon. Lady asks, because I took no part in this decision—I recused myself. [ Interruption. ] Here we go. They have nothing to say about the country, just desperate scraping of the barrel. Let the whole House hear that they oppose a solar plan that will put up solar panels throughout the country and give clean power to the British people. The state of the Conservative party is something to behold.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  The last Government consulted on what, if any, future support there should be for biomass power stations. We are studying that consultation and we will make a statement in due course.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  I have great respect for the right hon. Gentleman. The truth is that we need to build the grid, regardless of whether the target is 2030 or 2035. This Government are being honest and open with people in saying that the grid needs to be built. If we do not build the grid, we will remain massively vulnerable as a country.