Carbon Capture

 

The government has pledged nearly £22bn for projects to capture and store carbon emissions from energy, industry and hydrogen production.

It said the funding for two “carbon capture clusters” on Merseyside and Teesside, promised over the next 25 years, would create thousands of jobs, attract private investment and help the UK meet climate goals. Miliband said the project was “essential if we are to decarbonise without industrialising”.

He said: “This is a government willing to invest in the future of Britain to create good jobs of the future, as the good jobs used to exist in coal but this is a new era for Britain and a new set of good jobs bringing us energy security.”

However Britain unfortunately does not include Scotland, the UK Government has once again been criticised for snubbing the Scottish Acorn carbon capture project in Labour’s nearly £22 billion funding announcement. It is the third time in the last decade the project has been looked over for funding.

 

Council of Nations and Regions

Keir Starmer’s first council of nations and regions meeting is an insult to Scotland and her people after it was revealed no Scottish representatives other than John Swinney would be in attendance. The first meeting is set to take place in Edinburgh on Friday 11th October, with the Prime Minister and first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in attendance alongside the newly-appointed “envoy for the regions and nations”, Sue Gray. Starmer and the leaders of the devolved administrations will be joined by the 11 English metro mayors, as well as the Mayor of

London Sadiq Khan, to discuss shared challenges and opportunities

Yet whilst local leaders across England will also be present, their Scottish counterparts have been excluded.

 

Winter Fuel Payment

Anas Sarwar has been hit by a rebellion after two Scottish Labour MSPs voted with the SNP to demand the Chancellor reverses winter fuel payment cuts.

The Scottish Labour leader admitted to journalists ahead of the Holyrood vote that Sir Keir Starmer’s first 100 days as Prime Minister had experienced “teething problems”. Which is a huge understatement

He marks his 100 days in office shortly but his tenure has been rocked by backlash over the cuts to winter fuel payments and donation revelations involving senior Labour MPs, and Ministers including the Prime Minister.

However, the challenges got worse as senior party figures in Scotland sided with a SNP motion urging the UK Government to U-turn on means-testing winter fuel payments to pensioners in receipt of specific benefits.

MSPs voted by 99 votes to 14 in favour of John Swinney’s motion after the First Minister said the cut alongside the rise in the energy price cap represented a “double whammy” for pensioners.

A breakdown of the votes showed Central Scotland MSP Richard Leonard – Mr Sarwar’s predecessor – and Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alex Rowley rebelled against Scottish Labour.

Justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill, community safety spokeswoman Katy Clark skipped the vote, alongside Carol Mochan, Rhoda Grant and Monica Lennon. Not even all the

Scottish Labour MSPs backed the Labour amendment in Holyrood urging the Scottish Government to use an estimated £41 million in Barnett consequentials to support pensioners. However, Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government was spending £6.1 billion on benefits north of the border but said it cannot continue to backfill UK austerity policy decisions made by the Labour Party