Labour’s Jones received donations from fossil fuel PR lobbyists – Inside Croydon

There is more than a sniff of a donation accepted by one of Croydon Labour’s parliamentary candidates from lobbyists for vested interests in the fuel industry, STEVEN DOWNES reports

Decarbonisation, you say? How about a donation from lobbyists working for Big Oil? Yes, you say? Nice to have you on board…

What gas: Sarah Jones is Labour’s decarbonisation spokesperson

We have no idea if such a conversation ever took place, but there is more than a sniff around an overnight report that Croydon Labour’s Sarah Jones has accepted thousands of pounds in sponsorship for a fundraising event from a public business company that includes among them. BP and British Gas customer list.

Jones, the MP for Croydon Central since 2017, is seeking re-election on July 4 in the new Croydon West constituency. Jones is Keith Starmer’s shadow minister for industry and decarbonisation and is tipped for a cabinet job after Labour’s expected landslide at next month’s general election.

Jones’ official parliamentary statements show that last month, just days before the general election date was announced, she received food and drink for a £2,500 fundraising event from Beyond 2050, a public relations representing some of the largest gas producers and distributors in the country. .

While it might not be among the most egregious examples of lobbyists trying to influence the country’s lawmakers, it doesn’t bode well for Jones, who before becoming an MP worked in PR for… (check notes). .. Gatwick Airport.

Under Starmer, Labor has significantly watered down its environmental policies, to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, who have spent the last two years pretending while appeased Farridge and the far right on green measures to reduce carbon emissions. .

In February, Starmer and robotic Rachel Reeves, his shadow chancellor, announced they would halve Labour’s £28bn green investment plan, prompting an angry response from environmental groups, unions and some in the energy sector .

The Unite union said Labor risked “outsourcing its policy-making to the Tories”, while the energy industry trade group said it was concerned about reduced ambition for “the future of our sector in Britain”.

So the fact that Starmer’s decarbonisation spokesman receives donations from fuel industry lobbyists will not reassure anyone that Labor is any different, in policy or ethics, from the long-discredited Tories.

Jones’ links to the Beyond 2050 lobbyists were reported last night by DeSmog, an independent investigative and research website that specializes in covering the climate emergency.

They found that PR firm Beyond 2050’s official register showed they represented British Gas’ parent company Centrica, as well as global oil giant BP and Northern Gas Networks. Beyond 2050 describes itself as “the leading hydrogen strategy and policy agency”, working with “some of the UK’s most innovative hydrogen businesses and entrepreneurs”.

Beyond 2050 co-chaired a ‘Hydrogen Zone’ at both Labor and Conservative conferences last autumn.

“Given that hydrogen can be blended into gas pipelines, there has been an extensive lobbying campaign by fossil fuel companies to support the switch to hydrogen – despite scientists’ concerns about the technology’s environmental potential,” it reports DeSmog.

In recording: how the Beyond 2050 “donation” appears in Jones’s parliamentary statements

Labour’s manifesto, published last week, says the party will invest in hydrogen power: “The National Labor Wealth Fund will invest directly in ports, hydrogen and industrial clusters in every corner of the country”.

Beyond 2050 is co-owned by Jo Bamford, the heir to JCB’s construction vehicle business. Bamford’s family and business have donated more than £10 million to the Conservative Party over the past 20 years. Official records show Jo Bamford has personally donated £82,000 to the Conservatives since 2019.

DeSmog reports: “Jo Bamford is the owner of Ryze Hydrogen, a firm that ‘transports and distributes green hydrogen… to power our transport systems, industries and homes.’

“It has also set up a £1 billion hydrogen investment fund, known as HYCAP, in 2021.” DeSmog says Ryze Hydrogen and HYCAP are both represented by Beyond 2050.

In common with many lobbying firms, Beyond 2050 seeks to influence political decision-makers through a well-funded ploy that bypasses the ballot box and anything as old-fashioned as democracy. And he really brags about it.

Personal interests: JCB heir Jo Bamford co-owns Beyond 2050 and has significant stakes in hydrogen companies

Beyond 2050 claims it can “influence… short- and long-term policy decisions” with “an unrivaled network of politicians, advisers, officials and industry” that gives the company a “unique perspective on policy decisions and how to influence them”. Comfortable.

In 2022, Beyond 2050 provided staff support worth the equivalent of £18,000 to the Labor Party.

“It is totally unacceptable that Labor should accept any donation from the hydrogen lobby and put its climate policies at risk of being distorted by bogus solutions,” Free Fossil Parliament campaigner Carys Boughton told DeSmog.

“It’s no secret that the hydrogen lobby is the gas lobby in disguise, claiming hydrogen as a way to keep polluting business as usual. If Labor is serious about making Britain a ‘clean energy superpower’ then it needs to treat the hydrogen lobby with extreme caution, not indulge it.”

Inside Croydon approached Sarah Jones for comment on her involvement with Beyond 2050 and the hydrogen lobby. But in keeping with Croydon Labour’s aversion to accountability to the public, the party’s decarbonisation spokesman did not respond.

Inside Croydon has already contacted Sarah Jones to take part in our Election Questions interviews where candidates from across the political spectrum and across Croydon’s four parliamentary constituencies were invited to answer a series of questions, the first of which was ‘ Why should we trust you, or your party?”

I didn’t get the courtesy of a reply. Perhaps Sarah Jones feels she cannot answer such a question about integrity.

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