Ed Miliband has been left red-faced over an old tweet insisting Labour would stand by its flagship £28 billion green spending pledge.
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday confirmed the financial promise, first made in September 2021, would be dropped in his biggest U-turn to date.
But a former tweet by Mr Miliband, who is shadow energy secretary, insisting Labour would not “back down” on the policy has resurfaced.
In the post on social media platform X in June 2023, the Labour frontbencher said: “Some people don’t want Britain to borrow to invest in the green economy. They want us to back down.
“But Keir, Rachel and I will never let that happen. Britain needs this £28bn a year plan and that is what we are committed to.”
Retweeting the post following the U-turn, Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “This did not age well… I’m wondering if Keir and Rachel kept him in the dark, or did they tell him they were going to hang him out to dry.
“U-turn after U-turn, flip-flop after flip-flop. Starmer hasn’t got a plan. He’s making it up as he goes along.”
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas also shared the tweet and added: “Ouch.”
Veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil did the same and wrote: “Oops!”
The post was also retweeted by the official Conservatives account with the caption: “Anyone spoken to Ed today?”
And Tory MP Mark Jenkinson mocked the tweet with a series of flip-flop and rolling on the floor laughing emojis.
Sir Keir on Thursday confirmed the figure would be dramatically slashed as he blamed the Tories for the economic situation.
But he insisted the ambitions behind Labour’s flagship green prosperity plan remain the same.
It follows weeks of confusion over the policy, with the Labour leader backing the £28 billion spending target as recently as this week.
Mr Miliband, who has spearheaded Labour’s green policies, publicly rowed in behind Sir Keir after the U-turn.
He said: “Labour will be fighting the election with a world-leading agenda on climate and energy with every single individual policy already announced now confirmed for the manifesto: Great British Energy, a National Wealth Fund, a Warm Homes Plan, a British Jobs Bonus, a Local Power Plan and no new oil and gas licences as well as our 2030 clean power mission.”
