A Labor government would lift a planning ban on new onshore wind farms, Sir Keir Starmer has promised.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s refusal to support onshore wind energy “is about putting his party first and the country second,” the Labor leader said.
Mr. Sunak scrapped a move by predecessor Liz Truss to relax planning rules to allow more onshore wind turbines.
But Sir Keir said failure to support onshore wind is a “national act of self-harm that is stifling our economic potential”.
Onshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of new energy in the UK and Sir Kier said removing planning barriers would “reduce energy costs”.
Labor has already committed to doubling onshore wind power and quadrupling offshore wind power by 2030 in its clean power plan.
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During a visit to a wind farm in Grimsby, North Lincolnshire, on Thursday, Sir Keir said the plan would involve “convincing some communities to get on board”.
He said he would have no hesitation in lifting the planning ban on onshore wind power so “we can create tens of thousands of quality skilled jobs,” even if it “means some communities will have to adapt to a new landscape.”
Planning changes Labor are proposing include removing the gap that allows a single person to stop an application, aligning planning requirements with other infrastructure and introducing new targets to cut renewable energy planning decisions from years to just months.
There would also be a crackdown on Whitehall blocking developments and steps to proactively identify land for renewable energy opportunities
However, a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy said the UK government had “increased grid-connected renewable energy capacity by 500% since 2010 – with 40% of our electricity now coming from cleaner and cheaper renewable sources”.
“A record amount of renewable energy has been secured through the latest round of our flagship program to promote large-scale renewable power generation.
“We continue to support more renewable projects to come online as clean, more affordable energy lowers costs for consumers and increases our long-term energy security.”
Mr Sunak told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the government would focus on offshore rather than onshore wind.
“It’s right that we’re taking people with us in the transition to net zero,” he said. “The worst thing we can do is alienate communities if we actually want to meet our climate commitments.”
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