Ed Miliband has been accused of “suppressing all opposition” to his green policies after he sacked Dame Mary Archer from her net zero advisory role. Dame Mary, 80, whose husband is Tory peer and novelist Lord Archer, fired on Friday.
The move comes just days after Sir Tony Blair attacked Labour's green agenda, raising questions over Mr Miliband's survival in Cabinet. Downing Street insiders reportedly insisted there would be no change to their net zero policies, but Dame Mary appears to have been the first casualty of the fallout.
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She was appointed as a Non-Executive Board Member to the net zero department in February 2024 and has reported to Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, since he took charge last July.
While she attended board meetings chaired by Mr Miliband, Dame Mary is understood to widely share Sir Tony's assessment of government policy - who earlier this week said it was “doomed to fail”.
Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope said: “I think they are quite keen to suppress all opposition to their net zero zealotry.
“Clearly they are not interested in listening to people on their board who may have a different point of view.
“The attitude of the Secretary of State seems to be to double down and resist all criticism or comments from people who have an alternative viewpoint, and this has just added to the challenge of holding the Government to account on these policies.”
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Former Secretary of State Claire Coutinho appointed Dame Mary to the role last year.
She told the Telegraph: “Since Ed Miliband has been in charge, his department has made scientifically illiterate claims about heat pumps, refused to provide any evidence that Ed's ideological plans will cut bills by £300, and scrapped the costing I started to reveal the true cost of renewables.”
Dame Mary spent more than 15 years as a lecturer at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and founded both the National Energy Foundation and the UK Section of the International Solar Energy Society.
Her vast experience in the field even saw her awarded the Energy Institute's Melchett Medal, an award given to recipients 'for outstanding contributions to the science of fuel and energy'.
But the government said the decision to remove the 80-year-old was 'part of a wider restructuring of the departmental board'.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “A refresh will ensure the department puts its best foot forward in delivering the Prime Minister's mission to become a clean energy superpower, lower bills for families and create jobs across the country.
“The Secretary of State thanks Dame Mary for her work as a member of the board.”