Ed Miliband Visits Telford Battery Factory
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00:00 Well, I'm incredibly excited to be here.
00:03 I can see the future here at ASEAN.
00:07 And if a Labour government is elected with GB Energy, our new publicly owned energy company,
00:13 we will be using companies like ASEAN.
00:15 And it's quite simple this.
00:17 They want to put solar panels on people's roofs and put batteries in their homes to
00:21 cut their fuel bills.
00:24 And the amount of reduction in bills that you can have is so large that if you can find
00:29 some sources of revenue, of money to invest in this, you can really make a difference.
00:34 It's good for bills.
00:35 It's good for energy independence.
00:36 It's good for jobs.
00:38 That's one of the things that great British energy is going to be doing.
00:42 I think what we need to do is recognise that we've been through a terrible cost of living
00:47 crisis which has cost families and is still costing families.
00:52 And unless we change course, we're at risk of another of those cost of living crises
00:57 because we're so exposed to dictators like Putin manipulating fossil fuel markets.
01:02 So that's why we need investment in onshore wind, in solar, in batteries.
01:08 And the purpose of this is to cut bills for families, give us energy security and of course
01:14 fulfil our climate obligations.
01:15 And if you look at what we're proposing, GB Energy capitalised at £8 billion, a really
01:22 significant investment.
01:23 I see it producing jobs here in Shropshire, lower bills here in Shropshire and giving
01:29 the energy security that I think people want to see.
01:32 We do need to build more homes and I think people across this area will see that we need
01:38 to build more homes.
01:41 And we can do it in a way, and the right way to do it is to do it in a way that is zero
01:45 carbon because at the moment what we're doing, and we've built a million homes since 2016
01:50 when the last Labour government wanted to have the zero carbon home standard.
01:53 We've built a million homes that we've now got to retrofit.
01:55 Well that just costs more money to do that.
01:58 So we should be building them zero carbon, that means lower bills for families and I
02:03 think that's what people want to see.
02:06 It's been such a terrible experience this energy bills crisis, the worst in generations
02:11 in our country.
02:13 We can't risk having that again and that's why Labour has made GB Energy one of our first
02:19 steps setting up GB Energy, a new publicly owned energy company.
02:23 Other countries do it, Sweden, Norway, France, Denmark, we're one of the only countries that
02:28 don't do it.
02:29 The Conservative position is we like public ownership but just foreign public ownership,
02:33 we want to see British public ownership.
02:36 Telford is known to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and what I'm really
02:39 keen to do is ensure that we are a part of the Green Revolution and making sure that
02:44 we are buying in Telford, selling in Telford and as part of that GB offer.
02:48 I'm delighted that Ed's come down to see first hand one of our fantastic SMEs in the heart
02:53 of Telford, employing local people, upskilling local people here at the factory floor but
02:58 also at Telford College as well.
03:00 The opportunities are great but we need a Labour government and a Labour MP standing
03:04 up for Telford, ensuring things like GB Energy take place which means that we get the lower
03:10 bills for our households right across Telford and Reikin but those job opportunities and
03:13 skill opportunities are so so important.
03:16 Even the Tories don't trust the Tories.
03:18 I mean that should send a message to voters across Telford when even the Tory candidate
03:22 says you can't vote Tory.
03:25 Absolutely and people on the doorstep aren't talking about the political chaos of the Conservative
03:29 or the Reform candidates.
03:30 What they want to do is a real plan to get more police officers on the streets of Telford,
03:34 more teachers into the classrooms of Telford and help with their cost of living and that's
03:38 what I'm going to be razor focused on.
03:41 I'm wanting and determined to stand up for Telford.
03:44 Over the last few years we've not had our fair share.
03:46 It would be my job to be Telford's voice in Westminster rather than what we've had
03:50 over the last few years which is a London voice in Telford defending the government.
03:54 Can I also just add just about Sean because I'm really so delighted to be here with
03:58 Sean.
03:59 He will make an absolutely brilliant MP for Telford.
04:02 A lady downstairs was saying this man has done so much for Telford and he's done that
04:07 not being the MP.
04:08 He's not yet being the MP.
04:12 I know how much he cares about this constituency.
04:16 I've worked with him through the local government association, through his leadership of Telford.
04:21 I think he will be a massive asset to Telford, a massive asset to the country and I'm incredibly
04:25 proud to be here supporting him.
04:27 - Thank you.