MAD Ed Miliband’s Net Zero drive has been slammed as “bonkers” by a union chief.
Gary Smith, General Secretary of GMB, yesterday blasted the Energy Secretary for slashing investment in North Sea Oil and Gas, calling the move “absolute bonkers”.
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He warned union members are feeling a “growing sense of betrayal” over Labour’s push to create a state-owned green project, GB Energy.
The firm is being set up with headquarters in Aberdeen and is funded by £8.3bn taxpayer cash.
Its aim is to decarbonise the grid by 2030 through investing in the likes of heat pumps and solar panels.
Mr Smith told the Daily Record: “Cutting off investment into oil and gas is bonkers.
“We could be getting investment into oil and gas that will allow us to create jobs.
“Just switching off investment in the North Sea is absolute madness.
“It’s bad for national security, it’s bad for jobs and the truth is it’s catastrophic for the environment because we are importing oil and gas, which is far more carbon intensive than producing it ourselves.”
GMB are one of Labour’s major bankrollers.
In the 12 months leading up to the 2024 general election, the union gave £372,632 to 72 of Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The Government is delivering the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers, including in carbon capture, hydrogen and offshore wind.
“We have already taken rapid steps to deliver a fair and orderly transition, with the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and two first of a kind carbon capture and storage clusters.
“This comes alongside Great British Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, which has already announced a £300million investment into British supply chains, unlocking significant investment and helping to create thousands of skilled jobs.”