Ed Miliband’s net zero madness hands Beijing a ‘kill switch’ over British economy

Ed Miliband was today accused of handing Beijing a “kill switch” over the British economy with his headlong drive for Net Zero.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has claimed that green energy will end the UK's reliance on Vladimir Putin’s Russia for its fuel needs.

And in the King’s Speech today, King Charles, speaking on behalf of Keir Starmer’s government, said: “Energy independence must be a long-term goal of national security. Increased production of clean ‘British’ energy will help to ensure that enemies of the United Kingdom cannot attack the energy security of the British people.”

But critics say Net Zero and ‘clean British energy’ simply transfers reliance, and potential economic sabotage, to an even more dangerous state: China, which controls almost the entire planet’s supply chains for green technology.

The vast majority of Britain’s solar panels and almost all the rare earths used in the generators of UK wind turbines come from China, giving Beijing a stranglehold on global markets.

And today Tory MP Alicia Kearns, who was the youngest ever chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: “We’ve spent three decades asleep at the wheel on critical minerals, and now we’re building a green energy system that hands Beijing a kill switch over our economy.”

Since 2024, Miliband has been pushing, sometimes without full disclosure say opponents, to make Britain 100 per cent green by 2030.

After Russia weaponised oil and gas prices in the wake of the Ukraine war, he said: “The experience of the last two and a half years has shown us that fossil fuels simply cannot provide us with the security… we need, quite the opposite.”

But Ms Kearns said: “Ed Miliband wants us to believe his net zero agenda is about energy independence. But he’s swapping dependency on one autocratic master for another yet more dangerous one.

“Worse, he’s trying to do it in secret, refusing for months at a time to tell parliament, let alone the public, what deals he’s doing with Beijing.

“The Communist Party of China controls the supply chains for solar panels, rare earths, and the minerals that power the green transition. If China pulls the plug, to punish the UK demonstrating a backbone, should Labour ever find one, over Taiwan, trade, or any other flashpoint, we will all pay the price.

“That is not energy security. That is energy dependency and vulnerability.

“I have been raising the alarm on this for years. The Government must urgently diversify our supply chains, move to wind, ban solar panels linked to Uyghur forced labour, and treat critical minerals as the national security issue they plainly are.”

The technologies that power the green transition rely overwhelmingly on Chinese supply chains. Around 80 to 90 per cent of the world’s solar panels are made in China or depend on Chinese processed materials. Offshore wind turbines, the backbone of Britain’s clean energy system, rely on permanent magnets made from rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium.

China controls almost all global processing of these minerals. Even turbines built by European manufacturers can contain Chinese magnets, Chinese steel or Chinese electronics.

The private sector has recognised this for some time and put contingency plans in place. These contingencies now appear to be extremely valuable for governments looking to secure energy and mineral resources.

The ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has made the situation worse, but the huge shipping companies like BGN Group have spent years building the kind of resilience governments say they need: shipping fleets, storage networks, financing capability and regional hubs that can keep supply moving under pressure.

BGN, while headquartered in Switzerland, has a major office in Dubai to give it a foothold between the Gulf, Africa, Asia and Europe, close to the routes that matter for both energy and minerals. Its expansion into metals and its critical minerals platform in the Democratic Republic of Congo is an attempt to lessen China’s dominance and power.

Harry Richer, director of the think tank Fighting for a Free Future said: “This is the uncomfortable truth behind Britain’s green ambitions: a mine is not a supply chain. A contract is not a cargo. And a government strategy is not a ship.

“The UK can legislate for clean energy, but it cannot legislate minerals into existence. If China restricts exports, as it has already done with gallium, germanium and graphite, the UK’s net zero timetable could be reshaped overnight.”

Other governments are waking up to the danger. In the United States, the Department of Defense has begun treating rare earths as a national security priority, partnering with companies such as REAlloys and ALOY to build non-Chinese processing capacity.

The US has realised modern militaries and modern green industries rely on the same minerals. If supply is cut, both are exposed.

And this is where countries look to powerful commodity traders like BGN. During crises, governments often make sudden policy shifts and procurement demands, but traders must fulfil and execute them. They rely on their vast supply, shipping and financial networks to both backstop delivery and source materials critical to a country’s development.

In an age of energy scarcity and geopolitical division, reliable traders have become more essential than ever.

Political scientist Neil Watson said: “Britain cannot outmine China or outrefine it. But it can use its strengths: finance, shipping, insurance, diplomacy and alliances, to build supply chains that work in real-world conditions.

“That means diversifying sources of critical minerals, supporting domestic refining and recycling, and working with trusted partners who can secure non-Chinese supply.”