Sir flip flop does it again! Keir Starmer accused of being ‘in total disarray’ as he appears to backtrack on £28bn green pledge

• Starmer was alleged to have ordered further review into green spending plans 

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour was accused of being ‘in total disarray’ last night after being forced to deny reports that it was virtually abandoning its flagship £28 billion ‘green prosperity’ plan.

The party leader faced fresh ‘Sir Flip Flop’ allegations after claims that he had ordered a new review into the plan to borrow £28 billion each year to spend on green industries and environmental initiatives.

The borrowing scheme – branded a ‘debt bombshell’ by the Tories – has already been watered down once this year after Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it would only fully come into operation after 2027.

But yesterday, Labour was forced to deny BBC reports that ‘there are major doubts at the top of the party’ that an incoming Labour government would ever reach that level of investment because of the state of the public finances left by the Tories. The reports cited a source close to Sir Keir as saying Labour ‘probably won’t be able to meet’ that pledge.

Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer leaves his home for Parliament to attend Prime Minister’s Questions on 22nd November 2023 in London, UK

Rachel Reeves appears on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Last night, Labour denied both claims as ‘categorically untrue’. However, the Tories have seized on the confusion.

Tory MP Paul Bristow told The Mail on Sunday yesterday: ‘No wonder Sir Keir is known as Sir Flip Flop.

‘First, he had a crazy plan to borrow £28 billion a year, then it was watered down, then there was a plan to back off even further, only for Labour to say it’s all OK.

‘They’re in total disarray.’ Even Labour MPs voiced concern, with one saying: ‘It just gives the impression that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.’

He also suggested Shadow Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband would have ‘gone ballistic’ at the latest report ahead of this week’s COP 28 UN climate change conference.

A Labour spokeswoman said last night that ‘all policies are subject to our fiscal rules’ and the position on the green prosperity plan was ‘unchanged’.

She added: ‘Labour will ramp up investment in jobs and energy independence through our green prosperity plan to a total of £28 billion a year as planned in the second half of the Parliament.’

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