Earl Russell (LD)

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, for securing this debate, and I welcome his contribution. I will focus on energy and climate. This Government have an opportunity for a reset. The British people support change, but this Government have to do more to enable it. Nowhere is that clearer than on energy. Labour deserves credit for delivering enough renewable energy, through two successful record-breaking auctions, to supply the equivalent of 23 million homes. However, our energy bills remain among the highest in Europe. There has been no fundamental energy market reform. The Climate Change Committee’s citizens’ panel shows that people support the transition to net zero, provided the Government play their part: grants for heat pumps, better public transport and EV charging, and clear phase-out dates. Yet heat pumps and electric vehicles remain well behind target and too expensive for far too many. The transition being offered is not yet affordable, equitable or fair. Greenpeace UK’s Power Shift report, for example, shows that moving gas-fired power stations into a strategic reserve could save households and businesses £5.1 billion a year by 2028—a £65 saving off the average household bill. We need cheaper electricity by removing levies, and we need a social tariff. The new Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is a trained economist and former chief of the New Economics Foundation. That gives me hope that she will grasp the urgent need for fundamental energy market reforms. Labour must do more to back community energy so that everyone can participate in and benefit from the energy transition. Europe is the fastest-warming continent on earth, and we are not prepared. Summer 2026 was the UK’s hottest on record. It was made around 130 times more likely by human-induced climate change. England had its driest July ever. Across Europe, extreme heat was linked to at least 35,000 excess deaths. The UK Health Security Agency estimated that 2,877 deaths occurred in the May and June heatwaves alone. The London Ambulance Service recorded its busiest day in its history on 26 June. Nurses fainted in hospital wards where temperatures exceeded 30 degrees—conditions the Royal College of Nursing called “inhumane”. The UK is on track for its worst harvest since records began, threatening our food security and pushing up prices. The Climate Change Committee’s 2025 adaption report found that not a single outcome is rated as good. Adaption has been forgotten by all Governments. The time when we can afford to forget is over. Nature remains the missing element in this Government’s agenda. Confused policies, compounded by poor communications, erode trust. Wildfires worsen every year. The National Fire Chiefs Council has called for an emergency summit and greater resources. A Written Answer to me confirmed that the UK is entirely dependent on commercial aviation to fight wildfires; that has to change urgently before the super El Niño arrives. Mega-fires are on our doorstep, and we are not prepared to contain them. The UK cannot lead globally while cutting overseas aid. We need a road map back to 0.7%. Ed Miliband must show that this Government take global climate finance seriously. The British people overwhelmingly accept the reality of our warming planet and support change. The Government must enable that change. Labour must take people with them and work with them, not do things to them. The transition must work for everyone, or it will work for no one.