Miliband opposes Starmer over energy nationalisation
ED MILIBAND said there is a “role for public ownership” in the energy market, as he distanced himself from Sir Keir Starmer’s decision not to support nationalising the Big Six.
In what appeared to be a division, the shadow business secretary said that some nationalisation may be needed.
“It’s a deeply inadequate market and of course we need to look at all of these issues in relation to the market, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he told Today on Radio 4 yesterday.
He said: “There are many elements to the energy system – there is generation, distribution, transmission and supply, and I see a role for public ownership in relation to the energy system.”
His commitment to nationalisation, which Labour refers to as “common ownership”, comes after Sir Keir said he would not bring the biggest energy firms under public control, despite pledging to when he ran to be leader.
One of Sir Keir’s leadership pledges, viewed as a significant concession to the Labour Left, read: “Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water”. But asked whether he still supported nationalisation, the Labour leader told Andrew Marr: “No.”
He added: “On common ownership I’m pragmatic. I do not agree with the argument that we must be ideological.” Sir Keir appeared to draw a distinction between nationalisation and common ownership, but did not explain the difference. That reversal came two weeks after Mr Miliband was sent out to defend the common ownership policy on BBC Newsnight. He was said to have been frustrated when Sir Keir publicly abandoned the pledge.
Yesterday the former leader said: “We’ve started with a very liberalised system. We have introduced market constraints including the price cap – we need a fundamental look at this market and there is a role for ownership.”