ED MILIBAND ENERGY NET ZERO SECRETARY CABINET 2025 DONCASTER MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT MPs SIR KEIR STARMER LABOUR'S MINISTERS AND SECRETARIES OF STATE GOVERNMENT FOR KING CHARLES

Ed Miliband was appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 5 July 2024.

In 2025, Ed Miliband is widely regarded as the "accelerator" of the Cabinet. While he has achieved some significant legislative and capacity-building wins, critique regarding hydrogen and the "offshoring" of profits touches on the two biggest fault lines in his strategy.

Here is an objective look at his performance as of late 2025:

1. The "Gains": Speed and Legislation

Miliband’s primary success has been in removing the "clog" in the UK's energy planning system.

Great British Energy (GBE): The Great British Energy Act 2025 received Royal Assent in May. For the first time in 70 years, the UK has a publicly owned energy company. It has been allocated £8.3 billion to co-invest in wind, solar, and nuclear.

Planning Reform: He has designated clean energy projects as "Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects" (NSIPs), bypassing slow local planning boards. In 2025 alone, he approved record-breaking solar farms like Tillbridge, which can power hundreds of thousands of homes.

Grid Connections: He has effectively ended the "first-come, first-served" queue for grid connections, which had stalled 132GW of renewable projects.

2. The Hydrogen "Hole"

You are correct that Miliband has prioritized electrification over the hydrogen economy, particularly regarding transport.

Focus on Industrial CCUS: His hydrogen strategy is currently tethered almost entirely to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS) in industrial clusters (like Teesside). The goal is "blue" and "green" hydrogen for steel and glass manufacturing, not for the general public.

The Load-Levelling Gap: While he has approved several "Mega-Batteries" (lithium-ion and flow batteries), there is still no significant state-led plan for Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) via hydrogen.

The Vehicle Pivot: Miliband has doubled down on Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), extending grants and charging infrastructure funding in the 2025 Budget. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are currently being treated as a "niche" solution for heavy-duty shipping and aviation only, leaving the "SmartNet" style of localized hydrogen balancing out in the cold.

3. The "Profit Leak" and Investment

The problem you highlighted—UK money flowing to overseas investors—remains the "Achilles' heel" of his 2030 Clean Power mission.

Foreign Dependency: Major 2025 offshore wind projects are still dominated by firms like Ørsted (Denmark) and Equinor (Norway). While GBE is meant to "buy back" a stake for the UK public, most of the infrastructure is built using foreign capital, meaning the dividends leave our shores.

The "Engineered in the UK" Programme: To combat this, he launched a £1 billion "Energy, Engineered in the UK" fund in late 2025. This aims to force supply chains back into British towns, but critics argue it is "too little, too late" to compete with the US or China.

Scorecard: Miliband at the End of 2025

Renewable Capacity A- Massive approvals for solar and wind; record-breaking output in Q2 2025.

Public Ownership B+ GB Energy is operational, but its £8.3bn budget is small compared to private giants.

Energy Bills C Bills remain high due to gas price volatility; the "Clean Power" savings aren't hitting wallets yet.

Hydrogen & Storage D Lacks a vision for hydrogen beyond industry; no plan for a national hydrogen-vehicle grid.

UK Supply Chain C- Profits still largely exported; UK manufacturing is struggling to catch up.

Ed Miliband has been the shadow energy secretary since 2021. He previously led Labour from 2010 to 2015, stepping down following the party’s crushing loss to the Tories at the 2015 general election.

He was first elected as the MP for Doncaster North in May 2005, and served in Gordon Brown’s government before succeeding the New Labour veteran as leader, having defeated his brother David in the race for the top job.

He took a break from front-line politics during Mr Corbyn’s tenure, returning as Sir Keir’s shadow business secretary before taking the energy brief.

Previous holders of this role include the Rt Hon Claire Coutinho from 2023 to 2024 and the Rt Hon Grant Shapps
2023 to 2023. During which time there was no headway on charging points for EVs or hydrogen service stations for FCEVs. Nor was the Grid improved to allow transition to zero emission transport, and the dividends flowed to overseas investors care of Margaret Thatcher's great British garage sale. And the less said about ZEWT ocean transport the better.

ENERGY LIVE NEWS 23 JULY 2024 - ENERGY SECRETARY SETS NEW CAPACITY MARKET AUCTION RULES

Ed Miliband has outlined the rules for the upcoming Capacity Market auctions for 2025-2026 and 2028-2029.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, has issued a letter to the Electricity System Operator detailing the parameters for the forthcoming Capacity Market auctions.

The letter outlines the requirements for the T-1 auction for the 2025-2026 delivery year and the T-4 auction for the 2028-2029 delivery year.

The parameters include the volume of capacity to be secured and de-rating factors for interconnections.

For the T-1 auction, a target capacity of 6.5GW has been set, which is a reduction from the initially recommended 6.8GW.

For the T-4 auction, the target capacity is 45GW, with 1GW set aside for the associated T-1 auction, resulting in a procurement target of 44GW.

The letter also indicates that the parameters for the auctions may be updated following pre-qualification and will be confirmed before the auctions take place in early 2025.

In addition, the letter references the ongoing consultations aimed at improving the security of supply and aligning the Capacity Market with the government’s net zero goals.

Feedback from industry stakeholders and representative bodies has been considered in setting these parameters.

The government has also completed a consultation on Capacity Market reforms, which aimed to boost supply security and align with net zero goals.

The government said the changes will be made through amendments to the Capacity Market Rules 2014 rather than the Electricity Capacity Regulations 2014, including allowing mothballed plants and batteries to participate in auctions.