Miliband Puts Climate at the Centre of Foreign Policy
Ed Miliband has argued that climate change and global development should sit “at the heart” of Britain’s foreign policy, in an intervention setting out priorities for the Burnham government’s approach to the world. The remarks signal continuity in Labour’s green agenda even as ministers weigh politically fraught decisions on North Sea oil.
The framing seeks to reconcile Britain’s climate leadership with the pressures of energy security amid the Gulf war and elevated oil prices. It comes as ministers face a looming decision on whether to approve drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, a choice that pits green commitments against growth and sovereignty. Critics on the right argue that a climate-first foreign policy is a luxury in a dangerous world; environmental groups counter that the transition is itself a security imperative. Watch how the government squares its green rhetoric with its energy choices.