Tony Blair warns Britain can't stop climate change alone: Ex-PM suggests costly green policies are...
Britain should not obsess about cutting its carbon emissions, Sir said yesterday. In a break with Labour policy, the former prime minister suggested it was futile to make big sacrifices to drive down the UK's emissions when they are dwarfed by those from countries such as . He said even if the UK did a 'huge amount' it was 'not really going to impact '. His comments fuelled a growing debate in both main parties about how far to pursue costly green policies. Sir Keir Starmer has put 'green growth' at the heart of Labour's plans for government and set a target of getting all of the UK's electricity from green sources by 2030, which many experts believe will be near impossible to achieve. Labour also plans to spend an eye-watering 28billion a year on green initiatives. In an interview with the New Statesman, Sir Tony said the UK should 'play its part', but added: 'Its part, frankly, is going to be less to do with Britain's emissions. 'One year's rise in China's emissions would outscore the whole of Britain's emissions for a year.' He claimed the UK should focus on strengths like technology and financing to help developing countries decarbonise faster rather than obsessing about emissions. Other senior Labour figures have warned Sir Keir in recent weeks that the party's expensive green agenda risks alienating the public during a cost of living crisis. However, Ed Miliband, the architect of Labour's environmental drive, yesterday insisted they would not be abandoned. He told BBC Radio 4's World at One: 'Keir Starmer is 100 per cent committed to the project of clean energy by 2030, which is the way to cut bills and tackle the climate crisis.' Senior Conservatives have also questioned whether costly green policies should be shelved, such as the ban on new petrol and diesel cars in 2030. Other green plans, such as a planned 'hydrogen levy' on energy bills are set to be ditched.