Liam O'Dell
May 31, 2024
Sky News
Labour’s plans for a hassle-free launch of their Great British Energy policy proposal went up in flames on Friday, when it emerged that its snazzy new logo was actually a stock image.
Amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, Sir Keir Starmer’s party has announced its intention to set up a publicly owned energy company “investing in green British power” if it’s elected into government following the general election on 4 July.
Speaking at an event in Scotland, Starmer said: “Clean power is the best opportunity we have in a generation for the next generation of jobs … Scotland can and Scotland will lead the clean energy revolution, and that’s why Great British Energy – which will cut those bills, which will give us that security from those jobs – will be headquartered right here in Scotland.”
The plans have already been endorsed by former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance – from the televised coronavirus briefings – who wrote in The Times: “The prize is huge, lower energy bills, good jobs, more innovative businesses, energy security and climate leadership.
“Being self-sufficient in energy will mean that our country is never again left so exposed by our dependency on an unstable international fossil fuel market.”
The company even has a logo ready to go – except it’s been pointed out to Labour that it’s not as creative as they might have hoped, what with it involving the flipping of a stock image:
Not only that, but Starmer has also admitted to BBC Radio Scotland that Great British Energy “would be an investment vehicle, not an energy company” in an interview given months after a Labour press release described the organisation as a “clean energy company”.
And when the shadow science, innovation and technology secretary Peter Kyle appeared on Good Morning Britain to share more details about Great British Energy, he directed viewers to gbenergy.org.uk for more information – a URL which is currently available for purchase and hasn’t been registered to the Labour Party.
“[People] can see and put in their postcode, how it will impact them in their area,” Kyle claimed.
Oops.
As is to be expected, the Conservatives have jumped at the chance to mock their electoral rivals.
“How many Labour politicians does it take to screw up a lightbulb,” the party tweeted.
Safe to say, Labour haven't had the right kind of 'lightbulb moment' with this policy launch (sorry).
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