20 October 2022

Responding to the end of Liz Truss’ short time as Prime Minister, Green Party co–leader Carla Denyer said:

“The Tory chaos has spiralled beyond any pretence that the country has a viable government.

“It is reckless for the Tories to claim that they can replace Liz Truss with any leader capable of commanding authority, nationally or internationally.

“The Tories want to impose Austerity 2.0 with no electoral mandate. That means more cuts to vital public services and more suffering for people across the country.

“The government simply cannot govern – it is unfit for office.

“We need a General Election now so people can vote for the policies they want to see that will turn this mess around. 

“The Green Party will always stand for a fairer, greener country. We believe the way out of this crisis is to do the opposite of what the government has done – to reduce inequality rather than making it worse, through progressive taxation, including a Wealth Tax, and windfall taxes on the companies making super profits during this cost-of-living crisis.

“We would use the money to invest in a nationwide insulation programme to make sure people can afford to keep their homes warm, reduce inequality by ensuring that those with the deepest pockets help fund proper public services for all, and fund the beginnings of a just transition to a sustainable economy that protects the people and planet.

“It is time for the people to be given their chance to decide on the country’s future.”

ENDS

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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20 October 2022

The Green Party has thrown its support behind a new campaign to ask NHS leaders to pledge to end NHS privatisation. The We Own It campaign is launched against a backdrop of new Oxford University research that links outsourcing in the NHS between 2013 and 2020 to 557 preventable deaths.

Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party, will speak at the launch event today. He is expected to say:

“We need to keep the NHS publicly funded, publicly provided and free at the point of use. That’s all health services including dental services – people’s health should never be up for auction.

“The Green Party have, and will always, oppose introducing market forces and competition into our NHS. It was Green Party MP Caroline Lucas who in 2015 put forward the cross-party NHS Reinstatement Bill in Parliament, to reinstate the NHS based on its founding principles and reverse the creeping marketisation of the health service.

“Let’s remember the NHS belongs to us all – and we will always be there to make the argument alongside you that we own it.”

In 2021 Green Party conference passed a motion calling for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and at this year’s conference voted for the introduction of a £15 an hour minimum wage for all workers and pledged support for all trade union campaigns that aim to achieve wage increases to match the cost of living.

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18 October 2022

The Green Party has repeated its call for a wealth tax in response to chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying that the government will “better incentivise energy efficiency” in his statement yesterday [1]. Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said that such a tax could ensure real action on efficiency savings by raising the funds for a national programme of home insulation.

Ramsay said:

“With the chancellor calling for spending cuts, it looks like ‘incentivising energy efficiency’ will amount to little more than public information campaigns or asking citizens to reduce energy consumption. We need real action to help people cut their energy use. A national programme of home insulation could shave thousands of pounds off energy bills while cutting emissions. 

“A modest tax on the wealthiest 1% of households could raise in the region of £70bn [2], which could contribute significantly to creating warmer, more comfortable homes and bringing bills down for good.  

“A more progressive tax system is also the fairest way to avoid another round of damaging austerity and will help to genuinely level up the economy, since it would be paid by the very richest who are generally in more affluent areas and be redistributed across the country. 

“Never has the case for a wealth tax been stronger. It would help reverse years of damage caused to both society and the climate by successive Tory governments.”

Notes

[1] Government ‘will better incentivise energy efficiency’ | Politics News | Sky News 

[2] The_Case_for_a_Progressive_Annual_Wealth_Tax_(2021)_v2.pdf

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17 October 2022

Responding to the emergency statement from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt this morning [1], Green Party co–leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“The Chancellor’s emergency statement today is yet another symbol of the country’s economic and political instability caused by the recklessness of a Conservative government with no regard for the needs of ordinary people or the environment.

“As well as completely ripping up what was left of the Prime Minister’s credibility, what the Chancellor has signalled today is more austerity. 

“That means more cuts to vital public services and more suffering by everyday people who did not vote for and do not want the dangerous ideologically-driven policies the Conservatives brought forward and are now desperately scrambling to overturn.

“The government can no longer govern – this chaos has to end. We cannot continue to lurch from crisis to crisis, while people are left struggling to get by and the natural world around us is destroyed.

“We need a general election now so people can vote for the policies they want to see to turn this mess around. 

“The Green Party would do exactly the opposite of Truss’ reckless economic policies, which were designed to make the rich richer and would have driven up inequality. We are not afraid to say that the very richest should pay more to ensure we have the public services we need for a successful economy and society.

“For example, a wealth tax on the richest 1% could help fund a huge insulation and renewables programme that would help reduce rampant inequality, keep bills down for good and tackle the climate emergency.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-brings-forward-further-medium-term-fiscal-plan-measures

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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14 October 2022

Responding to reports that Prime Minister Liz Truss will today sack Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“Everybody knows the Chancellor was not the only one to blame for the disastrous mini-budget which has caused so much panic in the markets and turmoil to households up and down the country. 

“Liz Truss built her entire leadership bid on the economic fantasy of lowering taxes to make the rich richer. Sacking the Chancellor is a desperate attempt to avoid taking responsibility.

“The economic crisis we face will not be solved by a revised mini-budget and a resigned Chancellor. 

“To get the economic stability we need and start to tackle the cost-of-living and climate crises, we need a change of direction and the public must have its say.

“Liz Truss’ short time as Prime Minister surely has to come to an end soon and we cannot have the Tories once again deciding for themselves who should be Prime Minister from a dwindling pool of talent. The country needs a General Election.”

ENDS

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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