Climate change zealot has moved on, but replacement Miatta Fahnbulleh is about to take the crusade to a whole new level
Miatta Fahnbulleh has replaced Ed Miliband as Energy Secretary (Image: Getty)
If you thought the “Red Ed” Miliband era was bad for your wallet and your energy bills, think again. With Prime Minister Andy Burnham installing Miatta Fahnbulleh as his Energy Secretary, the net zero crusade has not just been revived – it has been supercharged.
Mr Miliband was a figure of fun for his Ed Stone and his infamous bacon sandwich, but in Ms Fahnbulleh, we have something far more potent and, frankly, far more dangerous. She is not merely a politician – she is a high-priestess of the “Manchesterism” ideology: a complex, academic framework that seeks to rewire our entire economy under the guise of the “productive state”. While the public might have laughed at Mr Miliband’s boiler taxes, they will find little to smile about with Ms Fahnbulleh’s plans.
She has previously, before she was in government, called for punitive taxes on airfares.
Unlike her predecessor, she has the intellectual credentials to dress up this economic assault as “social justice.”
Her background as chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, the think tank that has become the beating heart of Burnham’s policy machine, means she isn’t just reacting to crises – she is engineering the tax burden.
She is the architect of a vision where the state directs your life, from how you heat your home to how you travel.
Where Ed Miliband stumbled, Ms Fahnbulleh calculates.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
She understands that by leveraging the power of the regulator and the tax system, she can achieve the radical changes that previous governments could only dream of.
For the hard-pressed families of this country, this is a terrifying prospect. We are already reeling from sky-high bills and stagnant growth.
Yet, under this new “Manchesterism,” we are told that the only way to “fix” our broken economy is to pay more and fly less.
If Andy Burnham thinks that putting a serious, hardened zealot at the helm of his energy strategy will win over the public, he is mistaken.
The British people want energy security and affordable travel, not an ideological crusade that treats their holiday plans as an environmental crime.
Ms Fahnbulleh may be the darling of the green lobby, but she is the nightmare scenario for the British flyer.
