Sharon Graham, leader of the Unite trade union, criticised Labour’s net zero manifesto promises, cautioning that the policy could negatively impact oil and gas workers.
Ms Graham warned that these workers risk becoming ‘the coal miners of this generation’ due to Labour’s pledge to ban new oil and gas drilling licences in the North Sea if elected.
In contrast, the Conservative Party supports issuing new licences to maintain fossil fuels in the energy mix during the transition to renewables.
Speaking on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Graham acknowledged positive aspects of Labour’s manifesto but stressed the need to protect oil and gas workers.
Sharon Graham said: “On oil and gas, you cannot let go of one rope before you’ve got hold of another rope.
“And what we need to see in terms of oil and gas is that we need to see a proper plan with investment behind it.
“There’s no point saying we are going to create jobs, but you’re not going to show where the money is to create those jobs.
“We all know that if you are going to move from oil and gas to renewables, you need to put in an infrastructure, wind power is what you would be looking at, that would cost six billion pounds, 1. 1 billion for the next six years, and that investment needs to be there.
“You cannot just magic up jobs, it doesn’t work like that. You need an infrastructure, you need supply chains, you need training, you need all of those things to happen.”
Graham also disagreed with Labour’s fiscal rules, advocating for increased borrowing to invest in public services and relieve economic pressure on communities.
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