News / Politics
Ed Miliband lays out Labour’s energy agenda during Bristol visit
Having already been joined on the campaign trail by Keir Starmer, Sadiq Khan and Dale Vince, a visit to a company in St Philip’s on Thursday morning saw Thangam Debbonaire joined by Ed Miliband.
The shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero accompanied his shadow cabinet colleague to the headquarters of Matter to promote Labour’s climate and energy agenda.
“I’m incredibly proud of our plans,” Miliband told Bristol24/7. “If a Labour government is elected, we will have the most ambitious climate agenda of any government in history.”
is needed now More than ever
As Labour leader during the 2015 general election, Miliband lost to the Conservatives then led by David Cameron.
While he is expected to easily regain his seat in Doncaster North, Debbonaire is fighting for her political life against Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer in the hotly contested Bristol Central seat.
Several polls have reported that Denyer is ahead in the contest but Miliband said that these should not be seen as reliable indicators of the result of the July 4 election.
Miliband said: “The most important thing to say is we can’t allow this election to be led by opinion polls.
“The opinion polls are so often wrong. They were wrong in 2015 when they predicted I would be prime minister.
“If they (voters) want a radical climate and energy agenda… they need to vote Labour. If you want it, vote for it.”
Ed Miliband joined Thangam Debbonaire on a visit to St Philip’s on Thursday morning – photo: Hope Talbot
Debbonaire added: “There’s a record number of ‘don’t knows’ across the country. They are very difficult to predict.
“The best thing we can do is change this government. We’ve got such an ambitious agenda, and we know it’s going to be tough. There’s so much we can do, but only if we’re in government.”
Debbonaire and Denyer will be going head to head on July 1 in a hustings at Bristol Beacon hosted by Bristol24/7, which will be livestreamed for those unable to get tickets.
“I’m really excited for it,” said Debbonaire, with the event likely to be the only occasion when she and Denyer appear together on the campaign trail.
“Bristol Beacon is an incredible place and a great story of renewal and change. The fact that it’s Bristol24/7 too is excellent.”
Main photo: Hope Talbot
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