I was pleasantly surprised by the feisty performance put up by Tory Minister Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State at Defra, at the Aldersgate group meeting on Thursday; when challenged as to 'what can we do about George (Osborne)?' she replied that 'he had stumped up not £1bn, not £2bn but £3bn for the Green Investment Bank'. Not that the audience was impressed as the Aldersgate Group has been campaigning long and hard for the GIB's right to borrow, which George continues to deny.
Aldersgate Chairman Peter Young finished the evening with 6 points from the Group's Growth Statement that the Green economy will drive jobs and investment (my abbreviated notes):
1. Ensure Entreprise Zones are driving green growth
2. Set a clear rationale for meeting targets for environmental taxes
3. Ensure the Green Investment Bank can borrow from capital markets
4. Work with business to address green skills gap
5. Streamline the climate change and energy policy landscape to encourage investment in energy efficiency
6. Enhance the role of public procurement and increase support for research and demonstration.
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