Yorkshire can play leading role in 'green' economic recovery, Ed Miliband tells Excellence in Business Awards

SHADOW Business Secretary Ed Miliband issued a rallying cry for Yorkshire businesses to lead the “green” economic recovery when he addressed a major corporate event.

Mr Miliband, who was leader of the Labour Party from 2010 to 2015, outlined the case for investment in renewable energy when he appeared at the online ceremony to celebrate The Yorkshire Post’s Excellence in Business Awards.

In a recorded interview with Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post’s deputy business editor, Mr Miliband said that lessons could be learned from the German government’s approach to supporting industry during the pandemic and beyond.

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He said: “What do the Germans get more right than us? They understand that their manufacturers need proper support - and that’s been another issue in this crisis; whether our manufacturers, whether that’s in aerospace, in automotive or steel, are getting the support they need from Government to get them through the crisis and get them to the other side.

Ed MilibandEd Miliband
Ed Miliband

“I meet manufacturers and they say to me, ‘We need the help..but we need the help partly because we think we can be part of the future economy.’

“We want to be there when we get through this crisis to contribute the jobs, (and) contribute wealth to our country.

“To contribute, for example, to the environmental challenges that we face as well..What’s really striking about this is that there are jobs in so many areas that need doing. There are jobs in terms of retro fitting homes, because we know that in order to cut energy bills and cut carbon emissions, we need to put that insulation in homes.

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“We also need a programme to change the way we heat our homes. Tens of millions of homes across the country are going to have to change the way they are heated..So there’s massive jobs to be done there. There are massive jobs in creating the green spaces that we need in our country.

“Building the low emission and zero emission engines of the future - that’s something we can excel in. Carbon capture and storage that’s something where Yorkshire can really play a leading role.

“The future of hydrogen is really important. People think about climate change as an environmental issue and of-course it is - it’s about preventing disaster both now and for future generations.

“But it’s about much more than that. It’s about the economy of the future as well. Government needs to have a partnership with the private sector to make that happen.”

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The BBC TV presenter Harry Gration hosted the awards ceremony, which honours Yorkshire’s world class business leaders. Griselda Togobo, the CEO of Forward Ladies, a global platform that connects women to networks and business expertise, was also interviewed as part of the ceremony.

Ms Togobo highlighted the fact that countries led by female leaders have experienced half as many deaths during the pandemic as countries led by men.

She told the online ceremony: “Every female leader is saving lives...People really need to focus on what’s happening right now.”

Headline sponsorship for the awards this year comes from Addleshaw Goddard, Grant Thornton and Virgin Money. Associate sponsorship comes from Ernest Wilson and Openreach.

A supplement about the winners will appear in The Yorkshire Post on November 12.

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