Stern Pushes for £40–50 Billion Annual Green Spending Increase

Nicholas Stern, former Treasury chief economist, has urged Andy Burnham to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor and commit to raising public spending by two to three percentage points of national income annually—roughly £40–50 billion directed toward clean energy, transport, and infrastructure. His endorsement carries weight: his 2006 Stern Review framed underinvestment in green sectors as multiplying future costs, not prudent fiscal restraint. The proposal marks a structural reorientation of UK fiscal policy.