Fact Check: Net zero blamed for job losses, but evidence shows growth (June 2025)
🗣️ The Claim
In June 2025, Nigel Farage and Reform UK claimed that Britain’s net zero policies were destroying jobs, particularly in traditional energy and heavy industry.
đź“Ť The Context
- Farage has long opposed net zero targets, framing them as economically damaging and “anti-worker.”
- Reform UK leaflets and speeches have warned of “lost livelihoods” linked to climate policy.
- This narrative resonates with voters in areas historically dependent on coal, oil, and gas.
🔎 The Facts
- UK Green Economy Data
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows consistent job growth in the low-carbon and renewable energy economy.
- Between 2020 and 2024, jobs in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green construction rose year-on-year.
- Sector Breakdown
- Wind and solar power are among the fastest-growing job creators, especially in coastal and rural areas.
- Green construction (retrofits, insulation, energy efficiency upgrades) has added tens of thousands of jobs.
- The automotive sector is shifting toward electric vehicle production, creating new manufacturing roles.
- Independent Analysis
- Reports by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Carbon Brief highlight that the transition creates more jobs overall than are lost in fossil fuel industries.
- The main challenge is ensuring a “just transition” — retraining workers moving from carbon-intensive sectors.
- Reform UK Framing
- By focusing only on jobs lost in fossil fuel industries, Farage ignores the larger picture of net employment gains.
- His framing is misleading, presenting a partial truth without context.
âś… Verdict: False
Evidence shows the UK’s green economy is growing, creating more jobs than are being lost in fossil fuel industries. Farage’s claim that net zero is destroying jobs is false and misleading.