Co-leader of the Green Party and MP for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer, will welcome the Renters’ Rights Bill in parliament later today, but will say it must go further in defending the rights of 11 million renters in the UK. Denyer said:  

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to recognise the rights of the 11 million people living in private rented housing to have a safe, decent and secure home. A chance to stop tenants being constantly uprooted and fleeced to pay for a roof over their heads.  

“In particular, we need a national system for rent controls with local flexibility aimed at bringing rents down relative to incomes.  

“We also need to tackle rented properties that are plagued with cold, damp or mould. We need to see a clear commitment to energy efficiency in the Bill to end the scandal of around 5 million renters living in such appalling conditions. 

“Such a Bill is long overdue. Greens hope it can be made even better and become truly transformative. Let’s make sure we use this opportunity to shift how we think about renting, moving away from viewing housing as assets, to prioritising and valuing the right to a stable home – in policy and practice.” 

Notes 

Carla Denyer MP and Sian Berry MP are expected to speak in the debate on the Bill in the Commons.  

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party said: “The claim that wealth taxes would lead to large numbers of people leaving the UK isn’t credible. This didn’t happen when changes were made to non-dom status in 2017, and research by Patriotic Millionaires has shown that 68% of those with over £1 million to invest support a wealth tax themselves. There are lots of reasons that the wealthy choose to live in the UK, including work, family and culture, and many are happy to pay a bit more if it means a happier and healthier society.

Between 2020 and 2022 alone, billionaire wealth in the UK increased by almost £150bn, whilst living standards for the rest of us fell significantly and public services decayed. It’s only through rebalancing our tax system to make it fairer that we can rebalance society, invest in our NHS and other public services, and ultimately increase the quality of life for ordinary Brits”.

Commenting on reports that the £22bn in subsidies awarded to carbon capture and storage projects followed a sharp increase in lobbying by the fossil fuel industry, co-leader of the Green Party, Adiran Ramsay MP said:

“Revelations that this £22 billion bung to carbon capture and storage followed extensive lobbying reveals that it is the government that has been truly captured here – by the fossil fuel industry.

“Labour ditched its pledge for £28bn investment in the transition to the green economy, yet they can stump up £22bn for an unproven technology which provides an excuse for fossil fuel companies to carry on polluting.

“This money would be far better spent investing in reducing energy demand through a mass home insulation programme, in green energy and upgrading the grid – and on real carbon capture through restoring woodlands, peatlands and wetlands at scale. 

“Throwing billions into such a black hole rather than into the green transition makes no sense at all.”

Reacting to the government announcement of investment in carbon capture and storage projects, Green MP and party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: 

“Labour has spent too long listening to the pleadings of energy companies for major public investment in unproven technological solutions like carbon capture that simply won’t deliver the immediate real change we need.  

“This announcement is no substitute for the urgent and immediate investment needed in home and business insulation to cut energy use and the increased renewables funding that is badly needed to meet future energy needs.” 

Responding to the increasingly dangerous situation in the Middle East, Sian Berry MP said:

“We are deeply alarmed at last night’s attacks on Israel and the invasion of Lebanon, all of which show a growing escalation of the conflict. We express our solidarity with civilians under attack everywhere, whether in Israel, Lebanon, Gaza or elsewhere and demand that all sides de-escalate this dangerous and mounting conflict.

“The failure of the US, UK and others to address Israel’s impunity when breaching international law has made this escalation inevitable. Only by creating the incentives needed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, prosecuting all actors who have perpetrated war crimes as charged by the ICC prosecutor and by seriously advancing the prospects of a Palestinian state can this dangerous situation be resolved.

“The diplomacy of phone calls and statements is not enough. The UK needs to consider much more direct measures including ending arms sales to oblige all parties immediately to cease military action. All those responsible for attacks on civilians, which is a war crime, must face accountability.”