Labour leader Ed Miliband has today lent his weight to the campaign against cuts to the feed-in tariff incentive scheme he introduced as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, signing an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the government to ditch plans to slash the level of support available to large solar installations.

Miliband has signed the EDM alongside Labour chief whip Rosie Winteron and the shadow energy and climate change team of Meg Hillier, Luciana Berger and Huw Irranca-Davies.

The motion states that "the Draft Modifications to the Standard Conditions of Electricity Supply Licences, a copy of which was laid before this House on 9 June 2011, be not approved".

EDMs rarely secure enough support to pass through parliament, but Labour is hoping that a significant turn out in favour of the motion could prompt the government to host a parliamentary debate on the controversial decision.

"There has been no real debate about this significant change, and we want to see it debated properly at the committee level," said a spokesman for the party.

Shadow climate minister Irranca-Davies, who has led opposition to the proposed cuts to feed-in tariffs, urged the government to rethink its decision to cut incentives by between 40 and 70 per cent for all solar installations with over 50kW.

"Minister Greg Barker's decision to go ahead with the proposed dramatic feed-in tariff reductions for community, school and hospital schemes is a big blow to British industry and betrays the government's promise to be 'the greenest government ever'," he said.

"A decision such as this which fundamentally alters the future for the solar industry in the UK deserves real debate, where MPs can question the minister on his rash and ill-thought out decision. It should not be snuck quietly through the Commons."

Barker has consistently maintained that the cuts to solar feed-in tariffs, which come into effect from next month, are necessary to ensure that the feed-in tariff scheme remains within budget and does not result in money intended for domestic installations being funnelled towards large solar farms.

However, the decision has sparked protests from many within the solar sector. Critics have accused the government of undermining investor confidence and overseeing cuts that will make it impossible for any installation with over 50kW of capacity to proceed, including proposed community projects at schools and hospitals.

"The coalition government would be making a terrible mistake to sacrifice the UK solar industry, and this needs proper parliamentary debate," said Howard Johns, chairman of the Solar Trade Association.

"The debate should focus on the true potential of solar to the UK based on current costs and jobs and manufacturing opportunities."

The EDM comes as the group of 11 companies that had been seeking to overturn the government's decision to cut feed-in tariffs through the court confirmed that they have been forced to drop the case.

Last month, a high court judge ruled that the request for a judicial review against the government could proceed. But a spokeswoman for the group said that, despite the judge calling for an expedited case, the earliest slot the courts could offer was October, over two months after the reduced feed-in tariffs come into effect.

As a result the group has decided to withdraw the case, citing concerns over legal costs and fears that the courts would be unlikely to overturn a decision that has already come into effect.

"We are incredibly disappointed, but we are going through the process of withdrawing the case," the spokeswoman said.

Full Article can be found HERE