29 January 2025

WWF Comment

For immediate release

WWF reaction to Chancellor's speech on growth

Commenting on Rachel Reeves’ speech on growth in Oxfordshire, David Walsh, head of public affairs at WWF, said:

"There is no trade-off between economic growth and net zero. As the Chancellor rightly recognises, building a clean economy is the industrial opportunity of the 21st century. Now is the time to put pounds back in people's pockets by insulating homes, decarbonising power, and investing in public transport.

But the Chancellor is making a serious mistake by prioritising costly projects like airport expansions that take decades to build, send carbon emissions skywards, and leave real growth stuck on the runway."