The UK will ramp up its net zero targets and hand over control of energy policy in a bid to tighten ties with the EU, under new plans drawn up by Sir Keir Starmer.
A memorandum, published by the Cabinet Office earlier this month, says that there needs to be a ‘dynamic alignment’ of British law with EU rules on ‘the promotion of renewable energy’.
This would require the UK to decarbonise not just electricity but also heating and transport.
Net zero targets would possibly need doubling to reach these targets, potentially meaning measures such as reducing meat consumption, restrictions on flying, wood fires and driving could be brought in.
The Labour Party leader has sought to reset ties with the EU since coming to office in 2024, following years of Conservative governments whose Brexit negotiations sometimes strained relations with Brussels.
‘Deeper economic integration is in all of our interests,’ Sir Keir said in a speech on Saturday.
‘So we must look at where we could move closer to the single market in other sectors as well, where that would work for both sides.’
Sir Keir and Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, are currently in negotiations for Britain to rejoin the EU’s internal electricity market.
The UK will ramp up its net zero targets and hand over control of energy policy in a bid to tighten ties with the EU, under new plans drawn up by Sir Keir Starmer. Pictured: Sir Keir alongside Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission
‘Deeper economic integration is in all of our interests,’ Sir Keir said in a speech on Saturday
Sir Keir and Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary (pictured arriving at Downing Street in December), are currently in negotiations for Britain to rejoin the EU’s internal electricity market
Britain would operate within a borderless power grid alongside 27 EU member states under the proposals, which critics have previously branded a ‘betrayal of Brexit’.
Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, told the Telegraph: ‘Labour’s deal with the EU has already pushed up energy bills and imposed higher carbon taxes on businesses in a £5bn hit to the economy – and it hasn’t even been signed yet.’
Under the proposals, the UK will have to comply with regulations from Brussels in sectors such as food standards, animal welfare, pesticide use and electricity.
It will also require MPs to surrender their sovereign right to make laws to the EU for the first time.
And future sector-by-sector agreements will require payments for access, in what two EU diplomats described as ‘pay to play’ to the Financial Times.
Meanwhile, the UK will not get a vote on future laws and regulations made by Brussels as it is no longer an EU member.
An expert on the UK renewable sector, Professor John Constable of the University of Austin, described the deal as ‘fundamentally political’.
He told The Telegraph: ‘I fear that the Labour Government is trying to poison the well for any incoming government. It will be a poisoned chalice – they will be so fettered by EU law, and it will be incredibly difficult to unwind.
‘The whole package reduces the degree of flexibility in the future. If it were UK law, an incoming government could cancel them. But an international commitment is much more difficult to get out of.’
The Bill is expected to be introduced in the next few months and carried over into the next parliamentary session.
Last month, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (pictured) warned against reopening Brexit wounds and accused Sir Keir of taking the country back to the ‘bad old days’
It will introduce the powers for a mechanism to allow the UK to comply with regulations set by Brussels, known as ‘dynamic alignment’.
The UK has become progressively reliant on its European neighbours to power the nation after leaving the EU internal electricity market as part of Brexit in 2021.
Power generated in Holland, Belgium, France, Denmark, Norway currently reaches the UK via seven subsea cables.
Last month, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned against reopening Brexit wounds and accused Sir Keir of taking the country back to the ‘bad old days’.
‘We had a vote 10 years ago, the country voted to leave the European Union,’ she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
‘Leaving the European Union means leaving the single market, leaving the Customs Union. What he’s doing is taking us back to those bad old days where we were all arguing.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘The outcome from exploratory talks is clear that any overall target for renewable energy would be purely indicative, and there would be no targets for industry sectors, transport, buildings, heating and cooling.
‘Closer cooperation on electricity will bring real benefits to British businesses and consumers – helping to drive down energy costs, strengthen energy security, and drive investment in the North Sea.’