Oh dear. It seems that the iron law of British politics has held true once again: everything Ed Miliband touches, he breaks. Whether it is the botched Falkirk reforms or gaffes as shadow business secretary, the infamous ‘Edstone’ or even eating a bacon sandwich, the hapless wonk can never seem to do anything right. And a perfect example of that has been Labour’s rows over the £28 billion for a much-trumpeted ‘green new deal’.
For after 18 months of flip-flopping, Sir Keir Starmer has today decided to ditch his flagship policy, in an apparent victory for Rachel Reeves and the Shadow Treasury team. This is despite furious opposition from Miliband, who, as shadow energy secretary, tweeted just seven months ago that:
Some people don’t want Britain to borrow to invest in the green economy. They want us to back down. But Keir, Rachel and I will never let that happen. Britain needs this £28bn a year plan and that is what we are committed to.
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