Sadiq Khan calls on Reeves to bring ‘authentic’ Labour budget that boosts green investment | Climate crisis

London’s mayor said Keir Starmer’s government had shown a lack of confidence that it would find solutions to the country’s problems, as he called on the chancellor to support green investment in this month’s budget.

Speaking on the eve of a summit of world mayors in Rio de Janeiro, Sadiq Khan said the Treasury should give Energy Secretary Ed Miliband more support towards achieving the government’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035.

The mayor of London argued that cabinet ministers should be true to their beliefs, while saying the public will reward the government for confronting those who claim net zero policies are increasing the cost of living.

“I can’t understand how we’ve lost the art and ability to explain to people what we do,” he added.

Khan, who co-chaired the C40 World Mayors Summit with Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes, said: “[The public] I can smell someone who isn’t real. And I think you have to be original. People will respect someone if you are original.

“There are people who voted for me in the last mayoral election and who disagree with Ulez, but they respect the fact that I mean well, but I also explained to them why we did the ultra-low emissions zone, the fact that there are thousands of premature deaths in London.

“We have children with forever blocked lungs, adults with health problems from asthma to cancer, heart disease to dementia. And we have shown that this policy works, so people who were originally offside later became sides.

“This isn’t about leaving Reformation behind or greening the Greens. It’s about understanding what our north star is and then making that happen and, you know, staying true to who we are.”

Khan, who won a historic third term as mayor last May, said the Starmer government would never turn the country around after just 15 months in power, but claimed there was no clarity on its aim.

“I’ve said this privately, and I’ve said it publicly: We don’t seem to have the confidence to show the public that we have the solution to the challenges they face,” he said. “And when people say ‘Unreformed,’ that’s code for giving the impression that we’re something we’re not, and people can smell that.”

Khan said the Treasury machinery may be “behind” and that the cabinet should speak as one on the green agenda.

“This can’t just be the Ed Miliband show, I think the whole government will be behind this to ensure our country is a leader in tackling this problem.”

“I think the Treasury needs to understand why this is important. Do you know why? We can actually get good growth by responding to the climate emergency.”

“We can get good business out of this. That’s why I think the prime minister will come here.” [the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil] “It sends a message not only to the rest of the cabinet, but also to the private sector and everyone around the world, that we are taking this seriously and not underestimating the global role we can play.”

Khan is lobbying for investment to fund major Transport projects for London, including the proposed Docklands Light Railway extension to Thamesmead.

Asked whether Rachel Reeves, who is due to announce her budget later this month, should do more to support Miliband, she said: “I think it’s entirely a government effort.

“I think we’ll see support for green jobs in the next budget. Now people are thinking, what is a green job? A green job is someone who, yes, is a great plumber but also has the skills to install a heat pump. A green job is someone who’s a great electrician but can also support net zero.”

“A green business is someone who knows how to install triple glazing insulation, someone who helps build electric buses. These are businesses that need to be supported.”

“How? We have a huge problem with the welfare bill. Why don’t we use the crisis caused by climate change to train people for these green jobs in London?”

“Meanwhile, we are in London; we have schools, boot camps, construction academies etc. But do this with one hand tied behind our backs because there is not enough investment in this area.”

Khan said he hoped Starmer’s appearance at the Cop30 summit with Miliband would be a turning point.

He said: “I hope that this will allow us to have more confidence to resolve this issue. Which, by the way, means saying that we think President Trump is wrong.”

“We think his speech at the United Nations was a disgrace, not just because he was angry at me and London, but because he called the climate emergency a hoax, because he said coal was a great thing. We shouldn’t be afraid to tell him that, it’s completely wrong. And it’s the exact opposite of the evidence provided by the science.”

Asked whether Starmer was too fawning over Donald Trump, who recently made a historic second state visit to the UK, Khan said the closest allies were honest with each other.

“Whether he is or not is not for me to say. [Canadian prime minister] The Mark Carney school of management or the Keir Starmer school of management is the right one,” Khan said, referring to the Canadian government’s optimistic approach towards the White House.

“I can see with Putin why it is in the UK’s national interest to have good relations with the US in terms of how we deal with tariffs and the Middle East, but I think there are times when you have a special relationship – and I compare a special relationship to a best mate – you have to be honest and sincere.

“The expectations for a best friend should be higher than for a casual acquaintance. And I think people need to decide for themselves whether the Carney approach or the Starmer approach is better. I know my opinion… Sadiq Khan is the best.”