6 February 2019

The Green Party has responded to news the Stansted 15 have avoided prison after being given suspended sentences and community sentences for stopping a charter flight used for deportations from taking off [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“It is welcome the Stansted 15 won’t face jail, but they should never have been in the dock in the first place. These activists are human rights defenders – the real criminals are the Home Office. The treatment of the Stansted 15 has been unprecedented and wrong from the start.

“The actions of the Stansted 15 exposed the brutality of secretive charter flights, and a number of people set to be removed from the UK on that plane have been able to remain in the UK safely as a result of their principled actions.

“We need root and branch reform of our immigration system with an end to the use of charter flights for deportations immediately.”

Notes:

1.       https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/stansted-15-trial-sentencing-verdict-airport-deportation-flight-court-chelmsford-a8766111.html

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5 February 2019

Responding to the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions for 2017, released by the Government today, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said:

“It’s shocking that emissions from agriculture and waste actually increased in 2017 and transport’s contribution has inched down by just 2 per cent since 1990.

“With this Government’s huge subsidies for fossil fuels, relentless building of new roads and runways, slashing of support for clean energy and sordid love affair with the car industry, it’s incredible that overall emissions fell at all.

“With the world’s top scientists warning we have just 11 years to keep temperature rises below 1.5 degrees, ministers should be redesigning our whole economy to achieve the dramatic drops in emissions we need. That means launching a Green New Deal – huge government investment to guarantee a green job to everyone who wants one and accelerate the transition to clean energy, affordable and reliable public transport and a thriving natural world.”

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31 January 2019

The Green Party has responded to news 4,677 people were sleeping rough in England in autumn 2018, down by 74 compared to 2017 figures. [1]

Sian Berry AM, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“Rough sleeping is not falling anywhere near far or fast enough. It is shameful that in a nation as rich as the UK thousands are still facing freezing temperatures on the streets. With the right political will there is action we can take right now to give people shelter, and I urge the Government and local authorities to consider measures like opening up Britain’s many empty buildings.

“In the longer term we need to see an end to policies like Universal Credit and benefit sanctions which push people into poverty, and real commitment to policies which help deal with the causes of homelessness so no one is forced to sleep rough in the first place.”

Notes:

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47059450

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31 January 2019

Speaking yesterday in the European Parliament on the evolving situation in Venezuela, Molly Scott Cato MEP said:

“As Greens we utterly deplore the economic mismanagement, violation of human rights and undermining of the rule of law witnessed under the Maduro regime. This has left the country to the brink and resulted in the exodus of three million citizens. However in responding we must not abandon key principles of international relations. We must uphold the right to self-determination and the right of the Venezuelan people to choose their own leader.

“Latin America has seen a long and tragic intervention by foreign players, motivated by self-interest and greed for its resources. Such interests must not be allowed to undermine the integrity of Venezuela. Only political dialogue can bring about a peaceful resolution to the country’s crisis. We support efforts by the EU to achieve this through working alongside Latin American leaders to help facilitate a rapid move to free and fair elections.”

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23 January 2019

The Green Party has responded to news the UK has biggest fossil fuel subsidies in the EU [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“These figures peel away more of the Government’s greenwash. The UN has made clear we have a 12 year window of opportunity to tackle climate change – the fact the UK pays out the highest fossil fuel subsidies in Europe shows how deeply the Government has failed to grasp the scale of this challenge. We can’t tackle climate change while giving more subsidies to dirty fossil fuels than clean renewable energy. The UK must follow Germany’s example and take advantage of the falling cost of offshore wind to invest in the future.”

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/23/uk-has-biggest-fossil-fuel-subsidies-in-the-eu-finds-commission 

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