What to expect from the new government

In the wake of a shock election, UKGBC convened over 150 industry leaders to discuss how a greener built environment fits into Labour’s priorities. This concluded a three-part webinar series led by UKGBC building up to the General Election.

Following the election of a new Government and the announcement of more than 30 new bills State Opening of Parliament, UKGBC convened a member webinar where Deputy Chief Executive and Director of External Affairs, Simon McWhirter, was joined by Labour MP Clive Lewis.

Lewis, who has an impressive Parliamentary record in championing the climate and nature agenda, has held Shadow Ministerial roles on Energy and Climate Change and on Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The focal point of the webinar was the built environment sector’s lack of progress in responding to the climate crisis. Lewis made clear the new Government’s ambition to a fundamental shift in regards to climate policy. The policy positions discussed included the establishment of GB Energy, rapid updates of the NPPF to drive housebuilding in the right areas and prioritise sustainable development, and Labour’s Warm Homes Plan and the future of subsidies and grants for devolved local authorities.

After 14 years of Conservative leadership during which the country has seen numerous cabinet reshuffles and changes in strategy from government, Lewis affirmed the new Government’s commitment to providing long-term strategy for industry and highlighted the role of GB Energy in defining a vision for that future.

Lewis commented:

[Business wants] certainty. They don’t want the shifts that were happening quite frequently and mixed messages…They want a long term plan. They want to be able to make investment decisions over a longer period of time…”

Simon was then joined by UKGBC’s Head of Policy, Louise Hutchins, as the questions from the audience rolled in, covering a range of industry’s climate queries, ranging from planning reform to embodied carbon. The scale of the challenges we face is clear, with urgent action needed to address housing, sustainability in developments, and the ecological crisis.

The session concluded with an agreement that the immediate announcements from the new Government show promise in the right direction and our sector has the chance to drive solutions and strategy that can meet 2030 and 2050 deadlines.

UKGBC’s Simon McWhirter said:

It’s fair to say with the substantive level of green policy reversals back in the Autumn from the previous Government…we conceded a lot of that ground…I think there’s a real opportunity now with the level of progression and forward-thinking that we’re getting”

Ministers are working to develop new strategies to deliver on Labour’s manifesto promises. This includes the Warm Homes Plan and strategies for allocating devolved powers, subsidies, and grants, as well as planning for new buildings, towns, and incentives for retrofit across commercial buildings. We will be closely watching Labour’s next steps to gauge their level of ambition.

UKGBC will continue engaging with industry and government to accelerate progress on our joint agenda. Look out for our NPPF consultation, submission to the Autumn Budget, and a 100-day scorecard which will assess the new Government’s performance.

A full recording of the webinar is available for members on UKGBC’s portal here. 

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