Net zero is the path to economic growth, says North East MP, hailing new report on NE success

THE first map of the UK’s ‘net zero’ economy, which shows the North East surging ahead of London in terms of income and jobs, has been welcomed by Teesside MP Simon Clarke.

He says the report from CBI Economics – which shows the net zero economy is now worth more than £70billion annually to the UK and supports over 840,000 people – is a significant piece of work.

 “We know, and this report is an important reminder, that net zero is absolutely crucial to the UK economy going forward,” said the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

“That’s because the false claim is often posed that net zero is opposed to growth and there’s a tension between doing the right thing for the economy and doing the right thing for the environment.

“This report is a powerful reminder that that position is absolute bunkum – in fact, the opposite is true.

“Our energy costs for the winter would have been much higher, for example, if we had been reliant on Putin’s oil and gas.

“The clear overlap between this report and the levelling-up agenda is apparent – they dovetail.”

He added: “In my own constituency, where the Teesside green revolution is taking place, net zero is the underlying theme – the green economy is powering Teesside’s recovery.

“That might be hydrogen, or carbon capture, or offshore wind and hopefully, soon, onshore wind, but whatever the form of net zero work, there is a nexus of expertise and investment, which is really what is going to turn around the life chances of people in my constituency.

“That’s also true of so much of the wider North East and Midlands.

“We are seeing a growing maturity of the net zero agenda and witnessing clear crossover points where moving to net zero becomes less reliant on Government subsidy to kick-start something and genuinely economically rational on its own terms 

“That is incredibly exciting and will only accelerate.

“My concern as a politician is to ensure cross-party support, which has made it so powerful in this country and doesn’t become the victim of political polarisation, as it has done, for example, in America.

“I think we need to keep emphasising that it’s a factual matter that net zero is now contributing markedly to the UK’s current and future prosperity.

“Making sure that policy-making is aligned with this work is the most important challenge of our generation; It will lead to a safer and more secure Britain and the world over the decades ahead, but also, if we play our cards right, a much more prosperous and successful one too.”