Clegg turns up volume on coalition's "quiet green revolution"

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today promised the coalition government would oversee a "quiet green revolution" that avoids "green gimmicks" and instead focuses on delivering low-carbon jobs.

Speaking at an event in the North East hosted by business advisory firm TEDCO, Clegg aimed a thinly veiled swipe at the previous government, insisting the coalition would avoid making headline-grabbing environmental claims.

"All politicians have warm words on the environment, and all governments talk about leading the shift to a new green economy," he said. "This government is going to do things differently. We won't try and dazzle you with green gimmicks. We want to impress you by quietly getting on with the job."

Clegg highlighted the government's planned Green Deal scheme, which will use low-interest loans to help households and businesses pay for energy-efficiency improvements, as an example of the kind of policy that will serve to cut greenhouse gas emissions and create new green jobs.

"Green Deal Finance will allow householders to make their homes more energy efficient, saving on their bills, without the need for them to provide up-front finance," he explained.

The government is expected to move forward with the legislation required to underpin the Green Deal scheme in the autumn and is aiming to launch the initiative in 2012.

Ministers have already spoken to a host of high-street firms about them providing the finance and accompanying green home makeover services, and the coalition reckons up to 14 million homes could be eligible for the scheme.

Clegg urged businesses to begin preparing for the scheme now. "We believe these proposals have the potential to unlock tens of billions of private sector spending in the coming years, and that means jobs," he said. "I want the business and research communities that will benefit from these changes to have the confidence that they are coming."

However, despite his insistence that the coalition would bring an end to green rhetoric, Clegg still offered an upbeat assessment of its approach to the environment.

"This government's aim is to lead a quiet green revolution, not release more green hot air," he said. "We need a new kind of economy after the crisis of the old. This means more green jobs here in the North East, instead of an over-reliance on financial services in the South. I believe we can create jobs and protect the planet at the same time."

Clegg's visit to the North East comes during a week of frenetic activity from the deputy prime minister, as he covers for David Cameron while the prime minister is on holiday in Cornwall.

However, a series of announcements have been overshadowed by reported rifts within the coalition government and ongoing concerns about the scale of the spending cuts that are due to be announced in October.

Green businesses are likely to welcome the deputy prime minister's focus on low-carbon policy and jobs. However, many remain concerned about the anticipated cuts at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Meanwhile, the CBI launched an attack on the coalition's approach to energy policy last week, warning that uncertainty over future policies was holding back up to £150bn of predominantly low-carbon investment.