Explainer-in-brief: About all those green jobs
One of the key tenets of Boris Johnson’s “green revolution” strategy has always been the creation of jobs. In 2020, the prime minister claimed his green plan would bring 250,000 new jobs, mainly to the North and the Midlands.
In the last two years, he’s made this promise many times, often to convince the most sceptical quarters of his party that a transition to net zero is not only environmentally necessary, but also economically beneficial.
Yet some jobs might be put in jeopardy in the process – especially those in the car manufacturing industry, where the rise of electric vehicles is shaking up markets. The industry’s trade body has said that more than 22,000 jobs could be at risk as a result.
EVs are a big part of the net zero transition, and the government is trying to woo as many battery manufacturers as possible to the UK to create a resilient domestic industry. But it won’t go far if it leaves traditional workers behind.