ED Miliband was last night accused of spearheading a “green transition built on slavery”.
The bungling Energy Secretary sparked fury across his party after he blocked efforts to ensure new solar panels for schools and hospitals aren’t produced using Chinese forced labour.
GettyEd Miliband was accused of spearheading a ‘green transition built on slavery’[/caption]
More than six Labour MPs have publicly announced they will support a vote today to ban state-owned GB Energy from spending millions of pounds of taxpayer cash on cheap supply chains linked to human rights abuses in XinJiang.
But dozens more have told whips they are livid ministers won’t abandon panels where there is “credible evidence” slavery was involved in production.
A House of Lords amendment to abandon tainted green materials is also being backed by the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, trade union Unison and human rights groups.
Last night the Department for Net Zero locked into negotiations with potential rebel MPs on a compromise.
But just days before the ten-year anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act, No10 doubled down on using cheap Chinese goods to accelerate eco-energy.
A spokesman for Sir Keir Starmer said: “We want to combat human rights abuses like forced labour across the whole energy industry.
“That will be more effective than applying measures on a company-by-company basis.”
Hitting back, senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Sun: “I believe no one on the back benches in Parliament and particularly in the Labour Party will knowingly vote in favour of the UK funding slavery.
“Yet when the Great British Energy bill returns to the Commons, they will be told by the government to do just that and vote down an anti-slave amendment and open the UK to slave-made Net Zero solar arrays and other goods, particularly from China.”
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
