Labour’s Deputy Leader slammed Rishi Sunak for "running out of fuel" with his energy plan to approve more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

Angela Rayner, on a visit to the North East today (Wednesday, August 16) outlined Labour’s commitment to paying £500m a year to incentivise clean technologies during the first five years of government.

She promised a "clean energy jobs boom" in the region if Labour become the next government.

Ms Rayner was accompanied at Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station by Jonathan Brash, Labour's prospective parlimentary candidate for the town, as she outlined Labour’s vision for the region.

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She said: “The transition to net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century, but over the last 13 years, the Tories have squandered it and held our country back.  

“Britain under the Tories is losing the global race for the clean industries of the future. It’s undermining our energy security, losing jobs overseas and betraying the communities that once built Britain.

“It’s magnificent to see what is happening here, to see the sense of the economic footprint that this plant has but also the community that has been built around it.

“There’s a real sense that what they do here is for the greater good of the country.

“It really helps deliver on our energy requirements.

“There’s a history here stretching back to the 1950s.

“Labour’s plan will bring a clean energy employment boom to North East industrial heartlands and coastal communities, bring down bills, increase our energy security, weaning us off our reliance on fossil fuels and dictators like Putin.

“As we rebuild supply chains here at home and export the clean technology of the 21st century around the world, we will secure thousands of good, unionised jobs in Britain’s heartlands like the North East to restore pride and purpose to our people and places.

“This is a crucial part of Labour’s plan for cheap power for all and good jobs, which will transform the UK into a clean energy superpower and ensure that the future is built in Britain.”

Labour plans to use a fund of up to £500m a year over the first five years of government to provide grants to incentivise companies developing clean technologies like offshore wind, onshore wind, solar, hydrogen and carbon capture.

Labour will reward clean energy developers with a “British Jobs Bonus” (BJB) if they invest in industrial heartlands and coastal communities to create high-quality jobs for Britain’s construction workers, engineers, electricians, and the wider energy industry.

She added: “The UK has been a global leader in nuclear energy, especially here in Hartlepool, it’s phenomenal.

“There is a real need for us to protect that, it will play a key role getting towards net zero.”

The Northern Echo: Angela Rayner and Jonathan Brash enjoying a tour of Hartlepool Power Station

Mr Brash said: “It's great to have Angela here at EDF today in Hartlepool.  

“I want to make our town the engine room of our country’s future as a clean energy superpower. Labour's plan will cut energy bills, create good jobs and deliver energy security.  

“Hartlepool is ideally placed to flourish in this new Industrial Revolution, but we need real leadership and to move away from the short-term decision making of the last 13 years.

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“I grew up in the town, it’s an iconic part of the history of the town. It’s on the skyline every day when you get up.

“It’s incredibly important for the economy. If I become MP for Hartlepool I’m not going to be quiet about nuclear power.

“Going forward we have to secure this plant, not just for Net Zero but to grow our economy locally.”