Healey’s budget cuts mean Britain is likely to miss green heating targets

Ex-energy secretary Ed Miliband’s agenda appears undermined as money is diverted from renewables to defence

Britain is unlikely to hit its targets on green heating after the cuts announced by John Healey this week, experts have warned, as critics of Ed Miliband claim the former energy secretary’s green agenda is being dismantled.

The chancellor unveiled more than £3bn worth of cuts to the energy department’s budget this week, much of which will pay for higher defence spending.

One casualty of the cuts is the government’s scheme to subsidise heat pumps, leading to warnings that clean heating ambitions are being undermined.