Theo Usherwood explains Andy Burnham’s ‘biggest intervention so far’ on Net Zero

Andy Burnham's sudden intervention on Net Zero has been explained by political commentator Theo Usherwood as the Prime Minister insists Britain remains fully committed to reaching its 2050 targets.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Usherwood argued that the Prime Minister's intervention is "all about the optics".

Mr Burnham has urged the UK to "believe in itself" to reach its Net Zero targets by 2050 in his strongest intervention on the issue since he became Prime Minister.

Writing in The Guardian, the PM said Britons need to "change the way we travel, build homes and produce energy".

The Government has been urged to pull back on the dash to Net Zero, amid fears households will see their energy bills hit a three-year high this winter.

Discussing the Prime Minister's remarks, Mr Usherwood told GB News echoed the argument from the Green Party, asking "why now?"

He said: "'Why now?' is of course is the challenge from the Green Party for Labour, and Andy Burnham has actually been quite successful.

"Not necessarily in terms of seeing off the challenge for Reform, Nigel Farage's party has its own problems, but actually dealing with the Green peril for the Labour Party."

The commentator pointed out "everything Mr Burnham said" about his Net Zero targets is straight from "the Labour Bible".

He said: "Look, everything that he's said in this article is in the Labour Bible. There's no surprises to it.

"But it's of course, his decision at this particular point in time to reiterate his commitment as the Prime Minister. And as you rightly say, it is his strongest intervention so far.

"But he's not said anything particularly new or diverted away from previous policy."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• 'The climate crisis is here!' Andy Burnham doubles down on Net Zero by 2050 in major intervention
• Ed Miliband to issue final ruling on oil drilling off Falklands after refusing to open up North Sea
• Andy Burnham beset by infighting as damning leak exposes 'copy and paste' PM

As host Mark White suggested it "could be all about the optics" with his remarks, Mr Usherwood agreed.

He responded: "It's all about the optics, but that's what it's about. It's about saying that especially after, the way the Government sees it, the way No10 sees it, after what happened in the summer with the drought.

"And of course, there are these impending decisions, which is which are being looked at very closely by Donald Trump in the White House around the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil fields in the North Sea, that they're likely to get the go ahead.

"He's trying to just pivot away and just say, actually, this Labour Government supports green policies. And of course, the big one is Net Zero by 2050."

The Prime Minister's declaration comes as Labour weighs up whether to approve new drilling projects in the North Sea amid mounting concerns that Britain may not meet its self-set climate targets.

Ex-Energy Secretary and now Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband now faces a deadline of December 31 to approve a licence for the next phase of the project Sea Lion development.

Sea Lion lies 136 miles north of the Falklands in the South Atlantic Ocean, with the development being jointly-owned by Israeli company Navitas and British firm Rockhopper Exploration.

The oil field is believed to contain the equivalent of approximately 900 million barrels of oil and sits around 1.6 miles below the seabed, itself at a depth of nearly 1,500 feet.