LABOUR MPs want Sir Keir Starmer to drop his £28 billion eco-pledge warning it could be his “Ulez moment”.
Some MPs do not support the policy but are avoiding criticising it publicly, backbenchers tell the Sun on Sunday.
Tories are using the plan to clobber Sir Keir, saying he would have to put up taxes.
Scrapping the plan would be a blow for Labour’s shadow energy secretary Ed MilibandRex
AFPEd Miliband and Keir Starmer[/caption]
Labour had originally promised to invest £28 billion a year until 2030 in green projects if it came to power.
But Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the figure would instead be a target to work towards in the second half of a first parliament.
One Labour MP warned the policy could be a “Ulez moment” for Sir Keir – in reference to the Uxbridge byelection.
Sir Keir blamed Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s levy on drivers for their defeat in Boris Johnson’s old seat last summer.
Another Labour MP predicted the eco-promise will be scrapped, adding: “It’s not a vote winner.”
They added: “Spending that kind of money when there are other social priorities I think is highly unlikely.
“It seems pretty clear to me the £28 billion is not a vote winner, whereas housing, the NHS, education, all the usual Labour priorities, are.”
On Friday Sir Keir described the £28 billion figure as a “confident ambition”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also tore into the Labour leader over the policy, writing in the Sun on Sunday: “One of Labour’s only big ideas is to go on a big, unfunded spending spree costing £28 billion a year.
“They are pretending it’s possible to do that without raising your taxes.
“It is just not credible: £28 billion is twice what we spend on the police in England. Their £28 billion spending spree would mean higher taxes for families and businesses across Britain.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Our plans will cut bills permanently, create high wage jobs and make Britain energy secure.
“We will ramp up investment to £28bn in the second half of the parliament. We are confident we can achieve this without increasing the tax burden on working people and within our fiscal rules which only allow borrowing to invest and will see debt falling over the medium term.”
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