Prime Minister Keir Starmer used the COP30 Leaders’ Summit in Belém on 6 November to restate the UK’s climate policy as a programme for energy security, lower bills and industry renewal. He linked the case for action to the recent devastation from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, before urging other countries to raise ambition. The remarks were delivered at the leaders’ segment convened ahead of COP30 negotiations in the Brazilian Amazon.
The speech reiterated the UK’s “world‑leading” Nationally Determined Contribution. In practice, the government’s current target is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035 from 1990 levels, announced at COP29 and recorded in the UN registry. Reuters reporting noted that this target excludes international aviation and shipping from the accounting basis.
Starmer described a “biggest nuclear building programme in a generation”. Since June–July 2025 the government has committed £14.2 billion towards Sizewell C and taken a 44.9% stake, with a final investment decision confirmed on 22 July 2025. In parallel, Rolls‑Royce SMR was selected as preferred bidder to develop the first small modular reactors, and ministers have signed UK‑US commercial agreements intended to accelerate nuclear projects.
On offshore wind supply chains, Downing Street confirmed new private‑sector commitments at Belfast Harbour to support the Mona and Morgan Irish Sea projects, enabling the port’s £90 million deep‑water berth investment and creating several hundred jobs. The government also announced upgrades at the Port of East Anglia to pre‑assemble turbines for East Anglia TWO in the North Sea.
These port announcements build on last year’s £1 billion turbine order from ScottishPower to Siemens Gamesa for blade manufacturing in Hull, linked to East Anglia TWO. Officials have since reiterated the contract’s role in anchoring UK content in future offshore rounds and sustaining the Humber workforce.
Beyond ports, the Prime Minister highlighted storage. Statera Energy has now reached financial close on the 680 MW Carrington battery project in Greater Manchester, with energisation targeted for 2026. Company materials suggest it will be among Europe’s largest short‑duration storage assets, aimed at balancing a renewables‑led system.
Starmer argued the clean power build‑out is already drawing major investment and jobs. He cited “over £50 billion” of clean‑energy investment since last year and “800,000 jobs by decade‑end”. For planning purposes, the government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets a central expectation that the clean‑energy workforce could reach around 860,000 by 2030 across direct and supply‑chain roles, with National Grid and networks planning significant recruitment.
Internationally, the Prime Minister reiterated climate finance commitments and UK support for adaptation and mitigation. The government continues to honour its pledge to provide £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance over 2021–2026, alongside targeted contributions to instruments such as the Special Climate Change Fund and regional catastrophe insurance.
The speech also referenced the Global Clean Power Alliance launched with Brazil. The UK‑Brazil joint statement at the G20 in November 2024 announced the Alliance’s Finance Mission, and a June 2025 update set out work to scale private investment into clean‑power country platforms in emerging markets and developing economies.
For energy policy teams, the immediate significance lies in delivery timetables already in motion: Sizewell C moving through early works following the investment decision; SMR contracting proceeding under Great British Nuclear; and port and manufacturing upgrades tied to specific offshore wind projects with consents either granted or pending.
For local authorities and supply‑chain firms, the announced port investments and the Manchester storage build point to procurement windows on marine civils, heavy‑lift logistics, blade handling, grid connections and ancillary services through 2026. These are aligned with the government’s framing of clean power as an energy‑security and industrial policy, rather than a discrete environmental programme.
Finally, the speech’s framing around Hurricane Melissa underscores the risk context in which these policy choices are being made. Public‑health agencies and independent reporting describe one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record, with severe impacts on Jamaica and regional knock‑ons. The government’s argument is that faster clean power deployment reduces exposure to fossil price shocks while contributing to global mitigation.