This month, Labour launched our Green Economic Recovery report, which challenges the government to bring forward £30 billion in capital investment as part of a rapid stimulus package to support up to 400,000 new low-carbon jobs over the next 18 months.

In June this year, Labour launched a wide-ranging consultation with businesses, trade unions, think tanks, NGOs and Labour members to gather ideas around how the UK can recover from the pandemic in a way that builds a fairer, greener economy. These ideas informed Labour’s Green Economic Recovery, which sets out how we can simultaneously revive our industries, support good jobs across the country, and tackle the climate emergency.

The report calls on the government to create a National Investment Bank, focused on funding green projects to ensure that public investment always aids the drive to net-zero. It also proposes an emergency training programme that would provide workers with the skills they need for jobs in the a new, greener economy.

So far, the government’s investment in green projects doesn’t remotely meet the scale of what is needed to tackle the jobs crisis and the climate emergency. We cannot afford more inaction. It is time for the government to recognise the scale of the challenges we face and act accordingly.