Are Labour’s New Clean Energy Promises Meaningful or Just a Way to Get Back at Reform UK?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Last week saw the conclusion of the 2025 annual Labour Party Conference; bringing together party members, trade union representatives, MPs, councillors, and industry stakeholders, alongside charities, campaign groups, and the media, serving as both a policy-setting forum and a networking hub where businesses from a variety of sectors such as energy, infrastructure, and construction also attended to engage with and observe Labour’s agenda.

The Conference was particularly interesting this year as, set upon a backdrop of political tension and high public expectations, our Prime Minister and his Party made some noteworthy promises and policy changes that could make a world of difference to the future of renewable and clean energy generation in the UK.

A ‘Total Ban’ On Fracking

Firstly, Labour promised a ‘total ban’ on fracking with an almost immediate effect, requiring any future ban ‘lift’ to go to a vote in parliament.

This is significant for a number of reasons, principally that Reform UK has pledged to lift the UK’s fracking ban; fast-track licences, and ease regulatory barriers to restart shale gas extraction in areas identified as geologically suitable. Their argument is that expanding domestic gas production would boost energy independence, cut bills, and create jobs in regions hit by industrial decline. However, this is in almost total opposition to the current Labour government’s efforts to meet Net Zero ambitions and bolster clean energy production in the UK.

As such, Labour’s move to totally ban fracking by changing the current law would make it extremely difficult for a future Reform UK government to reverse said ban as it would involve persuading MPs in areas that could be fracked to vote for it, despite extremely likely opposition from local people.

And, whilst fracking is an incredibly controversial and unpopular way of harvesting natural gas and oil, and therefore banning it has been viewed extremely favourably by a multitude of sectors, industries and the general public - including the renewable energy sector - many media outlets have been left wondering if this move has been made primarily as an attack on Reform UK because Labour feels threatened?

Investment in Solar and Clean Energy Jobs

During the Conference, Labour also committed to installing solar panels on 200 hospitals and 200 schools, aligning energy efficiency with public sector regeneration. This initiative is coupled with a renewed push for clean energy job creation, which could strengthen the wider supply chain and boost skills across the renewable energy and infrastructure sectors.

However, installing solar across hundreds of UK schools and hospitals, and scaling renewable infrastructure at pace, will require significant upfront spending.

As a result, critics argue that Labour has not yet fully explained how these initiatives will be funded, raising questions around budgetary pressures, subsidies, and long-term affordability; where will the funding come from and, importantly, will it affect the public purse?

A central feature of Labour’s platform remains the establishment of Great British Energy, the publicly owned energy company designed to accelerate investment in renewables.

Underpinning this is Labour’s ambition to achieve clean power by 2030, a target that will require major scaling of infrastructure projects across solar, wind, EfW, AD, and alternative fuels.

All great stuff, but developers and contractors are concerned about licensing reforms, procurement delays, and the availability of skilled labour - especially as UK steel is still in crisis and energy prices are still sky-high.

Without streamlined processes and workforce development, the gap between ambition and delivery may widen.

In short, Labour’s 2025 Conference put clean energy at the centre of its agenda, promising a total ban on fracking, large-scale solar investment in hospitals and schools, and the launch of Great British Energy to drive renewables with a target of clean power by 2030.

While these commitments align with Net Zero ambitions and have been welcomed by many, critics question whether the fracking ban is as much a political move against Reform UK as it is environmental policy.

At the same time, concerns remain over funding, supply chain resilience, and workforce capacity, raising doubts about whether Labour’s ambitious pledges can realistically be delivered.