However, the leader of the opposition made no pledges on waste and recycling in his speech, touching more generally on boosting the economy through encouraging green technology and green jobs.
Perhaps hinting that green policies were not vote winners, he said that the environment was not “fashionable as a political issue any more”, but felt it was “incredibly important to our economy today” and “the most important thing I can do in politics for the future of my kids and their generation”.
Mr Miliband told the Manchester audience yesterday: “I said the only way to transform our economy is to make sure we create good jobs. The jobs of the future. So our third national goal is for Britain to be truly a world leader in Green technology by 2025, creating one million new jobs as we do.”
He added: “Under this government, Britain is behind Germany, Japan, the United States and even India and China for low-carbon, green technologies and services. So many of our brilliant businesses are desperate to play their part in creating their jobs of the future but they just can’t do it unless government does its bit. With our plan, we will.”
The Labour leader also took a pot shot at Prime Minister David Cameron’s environmental record in office: “He’s been found out because he hugged a huskie before the election, and then said “let’s cut the Green crap” after the election.”
Maria Eagle MP
Earlier in the day, shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle MP also criticised the coalition government for “holding back green growth and jobs by refusing to give the Green Investment Bank any borrowing powers”.
She described the current government’s environmental record as “appalling”, adding that “the country is crying out for change”.
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Delivering her speech at the conference in Manchester, she told the audience: “Far from being the ‘greenest government ever’ as they promised, things have been going backwards.”
Substance
With the General Election looming next year, the 2014 party conferences this month will be the last before the vote in May 2015.
However, yesterday’s speeches came in the midst of a Labour conference relatively short on discussion of issues affecting the waste and recycling industry, with no fringe events focusing on recycling.
Shadow resource minister Barry Gardiner MP has previously said a future Labour government would review domestic recycling targets, improve waste data gathering and boost product design – none of which were mentioned in speeches in Manchester this week – as well as increasing the GIB’s borrowing powers (see letsrecycle.com story).
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