Union boss blasts Labour's Net Zero agenda for driving his members towards Reform UK as he slams Ed Miliband's stance on North Sea oil as 'economic madness'

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 16:12, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 16:14, 7 June 2026 A trade union boss has blasted Labour's Net Zero agenda for driving his members towards Reform UK. Gary Smith, the GMB general secretary, said the Government's opposition to North Sea oil and gas was 'economic madness' and a 'disaster for many working people'. He added that whoever ends up leading Labour - with Andy Burnham poised to challenge Keir Starmer for the party's leadership - had 'better start listening'. A recent opinion poll showed that trade union members are now just as likely to support Reform as Labour. The two parties are tied at 28 per cent support among union members with Labour suffering a 20-point drop since 2024, according to the research by JL Partners. Speaking to Times Radio on Sunday, Mr Smith argued that Reform is 'no friend of trade unionists... and people in the GMB'.  But he said he understood why his members were deciding to ditch Labour, despite his union being affiliated to the party. 'The truth is that economic insecurity, people's legitimate anger and frustration about the economy and their standards of living is driving people towards populist parties,' he said. Gary Smith, the GMB general secretary, said the Government's opposition to North Sea oil and gas was 'economic madness' and a 'disaster for many working people'. Mr Smith added: 'The Labour government has got a responsibility here too. 'They need to be doing more, they need to be less timid, they need to be more bold in what they do. 'They need to be more committed than ever in terms of raising living standards, in terms of bringing back jobs and industry to this country. 'And they are going to have to reflect on one of the issues that does drive our members to Reform, and that is current energy policy. 'Because it is closing factories, it is hitting investment, and it is hitting jobs. And whether people in the Labour Party like to hear that or not, it is true. 'Closing down North Sea oil and gas, and the impact that energy policy is having on manufacturing industry in this country, is a disaster for many working people. 'It is driving people towards the arguments that Reform put forward.' Mr Smith has been a frequent critic of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's block on new North Sea oil and gas exploration, including after the Iran war sent energy prices rocketing. He dismissed the Government's argument that reversing its ban on new North Sea production won't lower domestic energy bills because oil prices are set internationally. 'It's utter nonsense,' Mr Smith said. 'Sacking thousands of workers who currently work in the North Sea is economic madness.' He continued: 'Leaving the country increasingly dependent on energy imports, how can that possibly make sense? 'And it's not a policy approach that's been adopted by Norway or indeed any other country around the world. 'We want to see an energy transition; we want to see low-carbon energy as being built into our future. Of course, we do. 'But that needs to be done in a balanced way. And closing down a vital resource like North Sea oil and gas - which is good for the economy, is good for jobs - that makes no sense whatsoever. 'It's time Labour woke up to the impact it's having on politics in this country and on jobs and investment.' Senior Tory MP Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scotland secretary, said: 'Even Gary Smith of the GMB union has admitted that Labour's energy policies are failing Britain.  'Labour are killing investment, costing jobs and making us more dependent on foreign energy. 'North Sea oil and gas are vital to our energy security of the North East. Britain should be backing this industry, not driving it into managed decline.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.