'This is your money!' Lee Anderson rips Ed Miliband to shreds over brazen £11.6bn spend

Reform MP Lee Anderson has ripped the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, to shreds over a brazen £11.6bn spend in overseas aid.

As the Labour government prepares for this year’s climate-emergency summit in November, Miliband hosted Mukhtar Babayev, the Azerbaijan government minister who will lead Cop29, and Ana Toni, the National Secretary for Climate Change from Brazil, who will lead COP30.  

The meeting discussed the need for more urgent action on the climate crisis.

Miliband said: “We must lead by example with action starting at home – which is what we are doing through our bold 2030 clean power mission, our commitment not to issue new oil, gas or coal licences, and our £11.6bn commitment to international climate finance, sending a powerful signal to the world that we are serious about the leadership role the UK can play in driving global climate action.”

However, on X (formerly Twitter) Mr Anderson hit back at Miliband questioning the “nerve” of the party in spending millions of taxpayers money as concerns grow over people’s taxes rising as a result.

He said: “This is your money. Despite Labour telling us things are so bad they still have the nerve to do this with your money.”

In response user @SandyofSuffolk said: “Every hour of every day our Government gets worse.”

While @BasedBrit called the situation “infuriating”.

They said: “It is infuriating that they will spaff money away overseas while saying they are short at home.

“Sort the UK out first or sling your hook. Absolutely fuming because we all know that tax rises will come to cover this waste.”

Earlier this month Mr Anderson questioned Miliband over how much GB Energy will cost Britons, while referring to the case of a publicly-owned energy company that collapsed in 2020.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “I would just like to remind him (Ed Miliband) that just a few years ago, the Labour-controlled Nottingham City Council had their own energy company called Robin Hood Energy.

“But this was Robin Hood with a modern twist, it robbed from the poor and gave to the rich, and cost the taxpayer about £50 million.”