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The leader of one the biggest trade unions has warned Sir Keir Starmer voters will not tolerate \u201ceconomic destruction\u201d in pursuit of net zero.<\/p>\n
GMB General Secretary Gary Smith said politicians had been \u201cfundamentally dishonest\u201d about how complex and expensive a transition to a zero-carbon society would be.<\/p>\n
He also cautioned that a botched energy policy would be a \u201cdisaster\u201d for the country and signalled it could torpedo Labour\u2019s election chances.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir blamed Labour\u2019s failure to win Boris Johnson\u2019s former seat in last month\u2019s by-election on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan\u2019s controversial move to extend the \u201cUlez\u201d scheme.<\/p>\n
The low emissions charge forces drivers of more polluting vehicles to pay a \u00a312.50 daily. Mr Smith warns politicians to risk unleashing even greater anger if they mishandle the country\u2019s energy challenges.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Keir Starmer slammed for \u2018bowing to corporate interests\u2019 in latest policy u-turn<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe danger is if they get the discussion wrong on oil and gas and how we heat our homes and how we power industry, it becomes Ulez on steroids,\u201d he said. And he predicts paying for energy will be a \u201cdefining issue\u201d in the next election.<\/p>\n The GMB has called for a delay to the Ulez expansion and has pressed Sir Keir to scrap plans to ban North Sea fossil fuel extraction licences.<\/p>\n Mr Smith told the Sunday Express: \u201cI think Labour got it wrong. I think it was ill-thought-through what they said, and I hope their position is changing as they face up to the realities of the complexities and challenges of net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n He is worried about the impact of environmental policies which threaten to \u201cheap costs\u201d on lower-paid workers experiencing \u201cgenuine pain\u201d as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cIf politicians don\u2019t listen, don\u2019t take people with them, there will be a backlash and it will be to the Right,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n He believes achieving net zero emissions is right but warns without a credible plan and a national conversation it \u201cis going to be scuppered\u201d.<\/p>\n The GMB boss expects fossil fuels will be \u201cwith us for many decades to come\u201d and insists Britain must not depend on foreign imports.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cAllowing oil and gas to wither will be a disaster for national security. It\u2019s a disaster for the economy and jobs and the only winners are going to be despots and dictators.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Smith added: \u201cI think there has been a fundamental dishonesty at the heart of our politics about how complex energy is and how about costly any transition is going to be. People are not going to tolerate economic destruction to try to achieve net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> His words come as senior Tories, including ex-party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Business Secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, have urged Rishi Sunak to delay the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars for five years.<\/p>\n Exclusive polling by Omnisis shows 53 percent of voters do not want it to begin in 2030, with only 31 percent wanting to stick to the schedule.<\/p>\n Craig Mackinlay said the \u201crest of the world will not be following us down our virtue-signalling rabbit hole as we shatter our economy\u201d.<\/p>\n The South Thanet MP added: \u201cThe Government needs to wake up to reality and extend or, better still, cancel these plucked-out-of-the-air dates.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4917347.jpg?r=1692449673965\")
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