Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first budget in 14 years. As sustainable investors we were keen to see how Labour’s manifesto commitments on sustainability focused measures might be actioned. Below is an overview of the key highlights, how they stack up against labour’s earlier pledges and the potential implications for sustainable investors.

Clean Energy investments

Reeves announced that a significant portion of the budget will be dedicated to advancing the UK’s clean energy sector, including a £70 billion private investment initiative through the new National Wealth Fund. This investment will be aimed at projects in renewable energy, battery production, and port upgrades for green hydrogen infrastructure. It was announced that Great British Energy will receive £125 million in funding for 2025-26, which falls significantly short of the £8.3 billion that was stated in Labour’s manifesto. Despite this the announcements are a reassuring signal for companies and investors in the renewables value chain, the grid and its smart management.

Electric Vehicle infrastructure and incentives

Tax incentives will continue for EVs, excluding hybrid vehicles to encourage a shift towards fully electric options. Furthermore, the budget includes a £200 million allocation to EV charging infrastructure between 2025-26 and a £120 million scheme to support electric van purchases. While EV sales have been weakening in recent months, this may help to accelerate sales.

These measures are accompanied by Labour’s commitment to end new internal combustion engine vehicle sales by 2030, with a full transition to zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Reeves did announce a freeze on fuel duty tax for polluting vehicles, however we see this as a short-term solution to ease the cost of living while the UK transitions to EVs and low-carbon vehicles.

Carbon capture and nuclear power

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects are set to receive £3.9 billion in funding, reflecting the government’s intention to decarbonise industry while leveraging the UK’s geographic assets for CO2 storage. Additionally, Labour reaffirmed its support for nuclear energy with a £2.7 billion investment for nuclear power station Sizewell C, alongside ongoing support for fusion research, signalling that nuclear energy is seen as a core element of the UK’s low carbon energy mix.

Carbon border adjustment

The budget confirmed that UK will implement a carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism from 1 January 2027, covering aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel sectors. This market-based solution benefits sustainable investors by creating a more level playing field for green investments in the UK, encouraging both domestic and foreign businesses to lower emissions.

North Sea oil

It was announced that the current windfall tax on energy producers operating in the North Sea will rise from 35% to 38%. This hurts profit margins of oil & gas exploration companies, which are not held across EQ’s sustainable portfolio ranges. Furthermore, the budget also included measures encouraging North Sea companies to invest in low-carbon projects. For example, companies may receive tax breaks or reduced levies if they invest in CCS or offshore wind, helping them pivot towards cleaner energy sources.

Housing and building standards

£3.4 billion has been allocated to the Warm Homes Plan, which aims to enhance the energy efficiency for up to 350,000 homes across the UK and aims to upgrade five million homes by 2030; with a particular focus on low-income households. When coupled with budget increases to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, this should help to reduce energy costs across UK households. Some portfolio companies provide the technologies or know-how for greener buildings, which could benefit from these policy tailwinds.

Social impact investment vehicle

The Budget introduced a new social impact investment vehicle to attract private investment for social goals. This initiative, supported by the social investment sector, aims to drive the Labour government’s five key missions: economic growth, clean energy, crime reduction, educational reform, and health system improvement. Although details and funding specifics will follow in the spring, this has been welcomed by the impact investing community.

Conclusions

While markets are still digesting the budget news, and we are still awaiting important details, the reassurance provided by the new government on many sustainability tailwinds provides a more hopeful outlook for many sustainable businesses. The re-instatement of the importance of addressing climate change and social inequalities provides a more supportive investment landscape for EQ’s portfolios, albeit as global investors we remain diversified from strong impact from single-country news.