黑洞社区

Keir Starmer has promised to fast-track decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament but has watered down a government target on decarbonising the UK grid.

The prime minister outlined six 鈥榤ilestones鈥� for the Labour government鈥檚 first five years in power in a set piece speech at Pinewood Studios this morning, which the party has billed as the 鈥渕ost ambitious yet honest programme for government in a generation鈥�.

It included a commitment to triple the number of approvals for major infrastructure schemes compared to the last Conservative parliament by streamlining the approval process in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure bill.

Starmer described the current planning system as a 鈥渂lockage in our economy that is so big it obscures an entire future鈥�, adding that it was preventing the construction of projects including roads, grid connections, laboratories, rail lines, power stations and wind farms.

Giving examples of delays and cost increases on major projects, including 拢100m spent on a bat shelter for HS2, he said 鈥淚 tell you now this government will not accept this nonsense anymore.鈥�

鈥淲e will send a very clear message to the nimbies, the regulators, the blockers, the bureaucrats, the alliance of naysayers, the people who say Britain can鈥檛 do this, we can鈥檛 get things done in our country,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ell we say to them you no longer have the upper hand. Britain says yes.鈥�

But Starmer also scaled back plans to decarbonise the UK electricity grid by 2030, admitting the government was now aiming for 95% clean energy by the end of the decade.

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The former 100% target had been criticised as 鈥渕ad, bad and dangerous鈥� by shadow energy minister Claire Countinho and has been described by the National Grid as 鈥渋ncredibly stretching鈥� due to the amount of work required over the next five years.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband insisted the new target, which had been recommended by the National Energy System Operator, was consistent with Labour鈥檚 pre-election pledge to decarbonise the UK as it had included a 鈥渟trategic gas reserve鈥�.

Starmer鈥檚 speech also re-committed the government鈥檚 promise to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament, although The Times鈥� political editor Steven Swinford has reported housebuilding will not 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� increase until 2027.

Other milestones included ending hospital backlogs, hiring an extra 13,000 police officers, improving education for pre-school children and raising living standards for every region of the country.

He admitted he faced an 鈥渁lmighty challenge鈥� to hit his six milestones by the end of the Parliament and that setting the targets was potentially 鈥渞isky鈥� for the government.

鈥淪ome people may have said that鈥檚 pretty brave, you鈥檝e seen the books now, you know how hard that NHS milestone is. 黑洞社区 1.5 million homes is ambitious, perhaps a little too ambitious. And I鈥檒l be honest, they鈥檙e right,鈥� he said.

But he added: 鈥淕iven our inheritance on housing starts, clearly if we don鈥檛 turbocharge housebuilding with reform, we won鈥檛 meet that milestone. And if that level of candour surprises you, then, honestly, it shouldn鈥檛. After all, what is the point of setting a target that you can deliver without bold action? That鈥檚 not public service, that is political cynicism.鈥�