29 April 2009 - 700 job losses at Isle of Wight plant; Green MEP and party leader Caroline Lucas demands urgent support for jobs-rich green industries

The Green Party’s Euro-MP for the South East of England reacted angrily today to news that one of the UK’s last remaining wind turbine manufacturing plants, located in the Isle of Wight, is to close. Commenting on the closure of the Vestas plant in her South East constituency, Dr Caroline Lucas MEP said:

“The decision to close the Isle of Wight facility represents a spectacular failure of Government ministers to promote green industries and the future of manufacturing in this country. This isn’t just a huge blow for the 700 skilled British workers who will now lose their jobs – it destroys any hope the UK may have had for establishing itself in the eyes of the world as being at the forefront of technological efforts to create a greener and more sustainable future.

“At a time when thousands of people are losing their jobs, it is unforgivable that the Government has singularly failed to offer coherent policy on the future of the renewable energy industry. This is an industry which could provide good quality jobs for skilled workers in exciting new industries, taking full advantage of the UK’s proud manufacturing heritage, while also addressing the ever-present threat of climate change. The Government should be seizing the opportunity to create a favourable policy environment and invest massively in the new technologies that can see us through a period of transition towards a more environmentally and economically stable economy.

“What do we get instead? A Government trying to position itself as a world leader on environmental policy yet failing to meet the EU’s basic targets to reduce pollution and improve air quality. We have ministers blindly persisting in their efforts to open new coal fired power stations, throwing public money at as yet unproven CCS technology and storing up problems for the future. We see more Government plans to expand nuclear facilities, with all the dangers and uncertainties that those bring – not to mention the enormous cost to the taxpayer.

“We are in the midst of a global energy crisis, yet this Government has missed one opportunity after another to launch a clean energy revolution that would provide hundreds of thousands of green collar jobs, reduce energy bills and deliver long-overdue improvements to the UK’s infrastructure. Channeling investment into green industries through incentives and improving the planning system would inject new life into the struggling renewables sector; the UK could be at the forefront of the clean technologies which can see us through the economic, environmental and global energy crises.

“Neither Labour, nor the forces of the free market, can be relied upon to adequately tackle climate change or nurture the fledging green industries that could provide so many jobs for British people. The ideas to develop and support the sector, and so create an energy policy fit for the 21^st century, are there - all that is needed now is the political will to see them through.”

ENDS