Labour urged to create more green jobs or risk losing voters to Reform

The Labour government needs to ramp up the creation of green jobs or risk workers being tempted to vote for parties opposing the shift to net zero, two major unions have said.

- Rowena Mason

GMB and Prospect, which between them represent tens of thousands of energy workers, said there needed to be more of a focus on increasing green jobs as fossil fuels were phased out.

They said without more tangible progress there was a risk of support for the transition to clean energy being undermined, and of voters opting for a party that did not back net zero.

Reform UK says it will rip up green energy contracts if it wins power and the Tories have moved away from support for net zero.

Launching the campaign group Climate Jobs UK, Gary Smith, the GMB general secretary, said: "How the UK makes the transition to net zero is hugely important. The voices of those working in the energy sector day in, day out, who have vast experience of dealing with change, need to be front and centre of the process.