30/09/2012 Sunday Politics East

In the East: The new face of Labour. How much has the party changed? Are

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2117 seconds

-- howled the energy policy could Hello. Coming up: The latest

windfarm off our coast is officially opened. Concern in the

industry grows over subsidies in the future. First, let's meet our

guests. Simon Wright and George Freeman. I want to talk first

double with a quick word about this promise from greater Anglia, who

are saying there will be fewer amounts of engineering work and

less replacement buses at the weekends on the Norwich to London

train lines. It is about time, isn't it? Great news. For years, it

has been very unpopular amongst passengers. They paid for their

train tickets and had to hop off the train half-break through their

journey and on to a bus. It has deterred people from using the

railways on Sundays. For those who travel to visit loved ones, friends

and family, or have a nice day out, it has been unhelpful. This is good

news. We had destroyed the weekend market. You have to take radical

action. Do you think this will boost the economy? I drink it is

great news. Train operators can only run as good a service as the

track allows. -- I think. The eastern region has a fabulous

future. People need fast rail links, good road links, a good air links.

A welcome the fact the Government is extending the franchise to seven

years. -- I welcome. Now to the fortunes of the Labour Party. The

party has a lot to do in this region after losing all but two of

its seats in the last election. It has poured more resources into

these and has already chosen its candidate in key seats. Is it

making a real difference? Earlier this month, members of the trade

union movement gathered at Burston in Norfolk to commemorate a strike

that it placed -- took place almost 100 years ago. These people have

always been traditional supporters for Labour. Very few are happy with

the direction the party is taking. They mock -- they are not moving

towards working people, they are moving away from it. No pay freezes.

Get a handle on utility prices. Get a handle on the pensions. They have

made a good start recently. Some of the things they are doing... People

are not aware of. It is a real privilege to speak here today to

you all. The face of Labour is changing. Clive Lewis is the

party's candidate for Norwich South. A formal -- a former journalist,

who has only been actively involved in politics for the last few years.

The party is changing. I am very happy with the direction Ed

Miliband is taking the party. is another new face. She is

standing in Norwich North. She is a former adviser to Tessa Jowell.

Polly Billington, a former adviser to Ed Miliband, will fight back.

bigger say hello to the students at the University. -- we will say

hello. They are also electing former MPs to stand in seats they

lost two years ago. Some people will say it proves Labour does not

change. I think we did the right thing and and we should not

apologise for it. If we understand that implement and people giving

their homes is an important priority for any government, I hope

we don't change. Bob Blizzard is To put it bluntly, you lost the

seat last time. Why do you think you can win it this time? I know I

lost it. I lost it narrowly. It was a horrible feeling. A lot of people

who did not vote for me last time have talked to me and say they

regretted it. They thought I would win anyway even though they did not

vote. Labour says its membership has increased nationally by 30,000

since the last election. We still do not know much about what the

party stands for. Several candidates have said they are

binding that frustrating. Earlier this week, Andrew Met Ed Miliband.

He told him he will not count out the unions it and he does not

support the idea of a general strike. I will make the decisions I

think are right for the country. I'm not in favour of general

strikes. That is not what we need in this country. I do not think

that most union members think that. On pay, these are hard decisions.

With Labour, it will be fair. Any tough settlements on pay make sure

that low-paid and middle-income earners are protected and do better

than higher earners. We want to put jobs as a priority. Part of the

problem on this government is we have an economy that is not growing.

There is an alternative to get growth going and get people back to

work. Your strategy is to tell you need to win about eight to 10 seats

in the east, places like Milton Keynes and Cambridge, if you want

to form a government. Are you there yet? We are two-and-a-half years

into a parliament. The British people are, I think, growing tired

of a coalition government that promise change. Things are getting

worse and not better. We will be showing them how we can make a

difference to lives, when it comes to jobs and living standards.

Energy bills is a big highlight of what we are talking about. How we

can strengthen our economy. Improving skills for young people

and making a difference to how banks serve small businesses. It

must not just work for some people at the top of the society but work

for everyone. Let me ask you about local issues. Airport expansion.

Last time he said you were not for a second runway at Stansted. How

about now? A commission has been set up by the Government. We will

look to see if that works. Here are my principles. Unique to respect

the environment. We have clear Climate Change targets. We have

local environmental issues we need to face. Those must be respected.

We should not rule out extra runway capacity in certain places. I am

sceptical that he slowed but we should look at other places. We

need to look at him by Mensa and business case. That is something we

are doing and something we hope the review we have set up will also do.

We are joined from the Labour Party conference by our correspondent. We

heard Ed Miliband say he was not in favour of strikes. Are you? -- by

the Labour MP for Luton South. people are being forced with their

backs against the wall. It is not surprising for people to come out

and fight this government all the more effectively. Let's speak about

local issues. What about not ruling out his new runway at Stansted

questionnaire you like to see more development at Luton. -- a new

runway. We do support development at Stansted? I am an environment

minister. For me, the priority is using the capacity we have got well.

You mentioned Luton with its plans to go for 9 million to at 18

million passengers. It is using existing capacity well. No

additional ground works. Just using the capacity in the first place. If

we can do that in the south-east, we can help with the broader

capacity issue. Let's speak about the plight of Labour in the region.

You represent 50% of Labour MPs in the east. What do you think needs

to be done now to improve on that? This is now an annual occasion

where I get to fill a state to support on the Labour Party. I

would rather speak about the economy. What you want us to do to

get us into government? -- what do you want? You want us to select

great candidates. Andrew alluded to many of the great candidates we

have selected. We need to deliver in terms of policy as well and

paint a picture of the vision we have four hour country in the east.

-- our country. The poll's a good but there are no clear policies.

When will these come? The most important policy of all is to get

the economy moving. That is why we said these Tory economic plans are

causing so much pain and hassle. We point to the fact we're in the

first double dip recession for 37 years. That is why the up in a

deepening recession that we need to get out of. -- why we are in a

deepening recession. Over the coming year, a year and a half, we

will see more specific sum that as you realise the scale of the mess

we have to clear up. -- the specifics that you realise. Could

the latest addition to the windfarm family be the last? We now have

four in the east. The Next Generation include the Plough and

East Anglia the RAE. Critics say it is expensive. There is growing

concern in the industry that future subsidies for wind power, to be set

in the forthcoming energy bill, could be capped. The Crown Prince

of Norway and the Cup -- the Climate Change Secretary arriving

for the opening of the region's latest offshore wind farm. 88

turbines off the Norfolk coast of Sheringham. The industry is

becoming one of the region's major employers. On board, there is no

time to be lost. The support boat needs urgent repairs. They had some

halt damage which has had to be fixed. We have done quite a bit of

electronic upgrade. We have 15 staff on windfarm work at the

moment. That looks likely to be growing as well. The base at Great

Yarmouth has just opened. It is a �1 million investment. Down the

road, they are working flat-out building catamarans to service the

wind farms. Three years ago, they employed for people. That has risen

to 45. -- four people. We are redeveloping and changing our

facilities. We're changing the service we offer. Hopefully the

windfarm development will continue. Will it? Huge wind farms are

planned in the coming years of the East Anglian coast. The industry is

growing increasingly concerned that the enthusiasm of the Government

for renewables is on the wane. The Treasury wants to cut subsidies

paid to the industry. That, in turn, could put shut the cost of such

huge investments. With the energy bill due before Parliament this

autumn, leading figures within the Conservative Party a concern the

Treasury is interfering, threatening the commitment to cut

carbon emissions. It is not being given top priority by the

Government. It is incredibly important for the future of our

economy. There is a bit of an Inter departmental battle in Whitehall

between the Department of Energy and the Treasury. -- if you want to

improve the quality of life where you live, the vote blue and Grove

Green. A far cry from the pledge by the Conservative Party to be the

greenest government ever. industry based on subsidy always

must be wary of a government changing its mind on providing that

subsidy. The taxpayer pays all this money. The subsidy comes from tax

payers and the energy produced is very expensive. One sure it is fair

game. At the end of the day, offshore does produce energy that

is twice as subsidised as onshore. Backing Great Yarmouth, business is

buoyant. -- back in Great Yarmouth. Vessels are due to be built and

maintained wind turbines. It has high hopes for a windfarm plant of

East Anglia. What is needed from the Government is a long-term

commitment. For the developers of that zone, I think it is absolutely

vital that they have certainty of what they can expect from

government. That is through to 2025 and beyond. The build period is

eight years from 2015. The functional and operational period

takes them and another 20 years beyond that. The renewable sector

already employs thousands of people. Many more jobs right and the

outcome of the political battle now under way at Westminster. Our

political editor met up with the energy and Climate Change Secretary

at the official opening of the Sheringham wind farm in Norfolk.

She asked him whether the fight by the Chancellor to reduce subsidies,

criticism from back fences that Windows too expensive and and I'm

sure -- and I saw, has turned -- caused concern in the industry.

lot of the media have made those comments. There is a lot of unity

behind this in a government. I support helping develop gas fields.

We need that gas for Aran Energy security. Gas is much cleaner than

coal and a lot of electricity is produced from coal. I support this

as the Liberal Democrat. It is not gas or renewables, it is gas and

renewables. The next round of development will cost �100 billion.

It has never been done before that deep and that far out with the

bigger turbines. They were not get the investment they need without

government support. Britain is seen as one of the best places in the

whole world to invest in offshore wind. We have more installed

working offshore wind farms than anywhere else in the world. We do

have the huge potential, I think that is behind your question, of

the Dogger Bank, the largest offshore wind farm in the world. We

are putting in place policies to attract that investment. Be

announced the review of the renewable obligations which

supports offshore wind and 28 other renewable technologies. We announce

that in July. Later this year, I will announce the energy bill and

bringing it to Parliament, which will put him close the long-term

framework for supporting all low- carbon technologies. We have a very

ambitious framework. Industry is very supportive of the frame that

we are doing. The message they have given me is, just get on with it.

They folded in favour of gas exploitation. This could affect the

Government's carbon reduction targets. Nick Clegg, meanwhile,

says the need yellowed to make the Blues go green. Which is it? Are we

pandering to the coalition or is there a risk? Ed Davey is not

folding. He has always been clear that Gas has had an important part

to play in the mix. We will lose one-fifth of our power generating

capacity. That needs to be replaced. In the long term, our demand for

electricity will increase and we need to bring capacity online. Gas

has a very important role to play in the short to medium term. In the

long term, in order to meet our targets, we need to see a D

carbonised power-generation system. That is what the Lib Dem conference

signed up to. They're both perfectly compatible. They are not

pandering and there is not a risk? No. We need to invest in the whole

package - the whole mix of power generation technologies need to be

supported and invested in if we are to meet the targets of low-carbon

energy. Enthusiasm for this vote blue, go green, it seems to be on

the wane. The Treasury wants to cut subsidies. It could have a knock on

effect to jobs in the east. We have under invested in our energy

structure. In 13 years, Labour did nothing. We faced the demand to

replace the renew the National Grid. -- we face. Also to renew 60% of

our power stations. At the same time, all Ed Miliband did was

signed us up to green turrets and leave us to deal with it. The

Chancellor has said we need to generate a good -- energy security

and clean green energy. The CBI has explained that green energy, at the

moment, is driving growth in Britain. There are over 30 billion

of GDP from the green economy. This is gross. The question of subsidies.

What we inherited from Labour is appalling a framed subsidies. They

start the market. As the cost of technology falls, so does the

subsidy. What about the effect on jobs in the East? We have a huge

role to play in green energy in terms of offshore wind and in terms

of the University of East Anglia and the science and technology

behind it. Wind is an expensive option - particularly offshore wind.

We heard it was twice as expensive as the alternative. I am afraid

George is talking at the top of his solar panel. -- out of the top. We

set in place the framework. We are competing nations all around the

world for the mess that we need to Green our economy. -- there is a

lack of policy and clarity which means we are not getting the

investment we need. Wind is an important part of the mix. If we do

not have clear and consistent leadership from this government, we

will not attract the mess and we require. What about the maths? Does

that add up? Others are saying it is not feasible at this time.

the moment we are borrowing to pay for the costs of economic failure.

We need to invest. This is some of the tragedy and many of the cats.

It has a chilling effect among the investor community. The minute we

pay people to stay on the dole when we should be investing in the

future. Can we afford it? We cannot afford not to direct. We have to

make the transition. They are legally binding targets. It has

been the only sector growing in this rubbish economy. Thank you.

After the Lib Dem party conference, it is all yellow in the round-up of

the week by Deborah McLaren in 60 Stone-clad scabbard over Brighton

most of the week, admit warnings of a cold front among delegates. --

storm clouds gathered. We have been very badly damaged. Also a motion

to oppose huge runways in the east. It got huge support. A warm welcome

to the Lib Dem candidate come standing in Milton Keynes. It is

power in the Open. As opposed to the power of police austerities.

Keep going and do not give up. advised to the party leader. The

attempts of a revival taking things a little too far. We are halfway

through the parliament and it is what happens at the final whistle