3 June 2024

Responding to Labour’s announcement on energy and security, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:  

“The road to national energy security must lead to real change – a turn away from fossil fuels and a massive investment in renewable energy generation and energy saving programmes like home insulation delivered through local authorities right across the country. 

“Anything less – and Labour is offering much less – will leave people with higher bills and do nothing to solve the climate crisis that is leaving communities up and down the land vulnerable. 

“It is Labour’s lack of ambition and refusal to make the real change needed that is leaving us all less secure. 

“Compared to Labour’s original commitment to spend £28bn a year on green investment, Labour plans to spend just £8.3bn over the course of the parliament.  

“That is nowhere near enough to deliver energy security.   

“Labour’s targets focus on the electricity supply. However, to achieve net zero we need to see the electrification of home heating. This aim was ditched when Labour cancelled its £28 billion investment pledge.” 

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2 June 2024

“Keir Starmer is falling into the same trap that the Conservatives have.

“Stoking division and adopting the anti-migrant rhetoric of Nigel Farage and Natalie Elphicke instead of welcoming the important role people choosing to work in the UK play.   

“People coming to live and work in the UK play an invaluable role in our health and care sectors. 

“Those who peddle this divisive rhetoric ignore this and instead feed a false narrative that it’s migration, not a chronic underinvestment in public services, that are stopping you from getting a GP appointment, a hospital bed, or the surgery you need.   

“This is just not true”.    

He continued,    

“Greens in contrast reject this false divisive rhetoric.    

“We are offering real hope and real change at this election.    

“Only the Greens offer the investment in jobs, infrastructure and public services fit for the future to fix our broken frontline services.  

“Voters know that the Greens will never blame people from other countries for the years of underinvestment and economic mismanagement by the Conservative Government.” 

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30 May 2024

Reacting to Labour’s announcement on Great British Energy, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: 

“We need real change if we are to meet the demands of the climate crisis. These Labour plans do not deliver it. 

“Compared to Labour’s original commitment to spend £28bn a year on green investment, this announcement of just £8.3bn over the course of the parliament looks tiny and is nowhere near enough to deliver Labour’s promise of ‘clean electricity.’  

“Labour’s targets focus on the electricity supply. However, to achieve net zero we need to see the electrification of home heating. This aim was ditched when Labour cancelled its £28 billion investment pledge.  

“Domestic energy security is vital, but that must begin with energy efficiency. That means providing the national programme of home insulation delivered by local authorities that will ensure warm homes and cut bills. This was another victim of Labour’s ditching of its original £28 billion investment pledge.  

“We want to see community owned assets and schemes that genuinely benefit people, not the private companies seeking to use public funds channeled through Great British Energy to continue profiteering while the planet burns and people’s bills remain too high. 

“Where is the support for local area heat networks which would make a real change and offer great long-term investments ideal for community ownership? 

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

“The Green Party is committed to democratically controlled community ownership for a greater share of the energy market and a faster transition to Net Zero over the next ten years. 

“We would invest the money so that communities could take ownership and see less income in the hands of companies that have made excessive profits from fossil fuels or run our water companies into the ground.” 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

1. An Initial Green analysis of Labour’s plans shows: 

‘An initial capitalisation of £8.3 billion over a Parliament, paid for by a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants.’ 

‘The £3 billion GB Energy local power plan alone will generate 8GW of clean power within five years, the equivalent to…’ 

The Green Party is committed to a greater shared for democratically controlled community ownership and a faster transition to Net Zero over the next ten-years. 

We would invest the money so that communities could take ownership and see less income in the hands of companies that have made excessive profits from fossil fuels or run our water companies into the ground. 

Derisking and Corporate Partnership 

The are doubts about both technologies. They might both be needed but it is not clear how much and the other clear opportunities for this country. 

Derisking the investments of unproven technology might not be in the interests of a government trying to defend the NHS. 

Labour’s engagement with this technology is worrying, who are they listening too? 

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30 May 2024

Green parliamentary candidates launched their national General Election campaign with a rousing call to set aside the broken politics of the Conservatives and Labour and vote for “real hope and real change.” 

Co-leader, and parliamentary candidate for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer told the party’s General Election campaign launch in Bristol: 

“Across the country, people now have the chance to vote for real hope and real change. 

“People are deeply disappointed by the way Keir Starmer has backtracked on his promises on green investment, his weak offer on housing — and now we have the would-be Health Secretary Wes Streeting telling us that more privatisation of the NHS is a good thing.   

“The case for change is obvious, but it has to be real change that offers real hope. Half measures and broken pledges will not do.   

“The voters we’re speaking to are excited that they have a genuine choice.   

“The polls are showing that we will soon be shot of this awful Conservative government, but the incremental change Labour has put on the table just isn’t going to cut it to get this country back on track. We need more Green MPs if we are to drive that real change forward.   

Co-leader Adrian Ramsay, who is standing in the new Waveney Valley constituency on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, said: 

“Over the past five years, we have increased the number of Green councillors five-fold. From here in Bristol, to councils across Waveney Valley and from Newcastle to Hastings, Greens are on the up. 

“With more Green MPs in the next Parliament what you’ll get is real hope and real change. 

“Green MPs will push the next government for bold action to achieve the real changes that are needed to confront the big challenges our country faces – and people know that.   

“Free healthcare is a fundamental principle held dear by people up and down the country and we would make sure it is funded properly so that everybody can see an NHS dentist and doctor when they need one.  

“We will make the tax system fairer so that we can afford to invest in the people who work in our hospitals and surgeries, so that they stay here, bringing down waiting lists so people don’t miss out on life-saving operations.  

“People know they can trust the Greens to offer real hope on climate and nature. Real change means not cosying up to the fossil fuel lobby and not abandoning commitments on climate targets. 

“Only by having more Greens in Parliament can we be confident that we will have strong voices to stop the backsliding on urgent climate action.” 

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30 May 2024

Co-leader, and parliamentary candidate for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer will tell the party’s General Election campaign launch later today: 

“Across the country, people now have the chance to vote for real hope and real change. 

“Our politics is broken, our public services are on their knees and people are worse off now than when the Conservatives came to power 14 years ago. 

The case for change is obvious, but it has to be real change that offers real hope. Half measures and broken pledges will not do. 

“The Conservatives are clearly on their way out of government, but Labour is failing to offer the real change needed. 

“We have the practical solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, building new affordable homes, protecting our NHS from creeping privatisation and cleaning up our toxic rivers and seas.” 

The party’s campaign launch will take place in Bristol, where the party now leads the council after winning every single seat in the Bristol Central constituency. 

Co-leader Adrian Ramsay, who is standing in the new Waveney Valley constituency on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, will say: 

“After so much damage by the outgoing Conservative government, we need more than a few tweaks from a new Labour government. Green MPs will push the next government for bold action to achieve the real changes that are needed to confront the big challenges our country faces.

“Over the past five years, we have increased the number of councillors five-fold. Greens have dramatically increased our number of councillors elected, from here in Bristol, to councils across Waveney Valley and from Newcastle to Hastings. 

“Over the next few weeks, we will build on that success and on 4 July ask voters to elect at least four Green MPs in our target seats and support our candidates standing across England and Wales. We are offering real hope and real change.”  

NOTES TO EDITORS 

The Green Party of England and Wales aims to stand candidates in every constituency, with its best chances in: 

• Brighton Pavilion – Sian Berry 

• Bristol Central – Carla Denyer 

• North Herefordshire – Ellie Chowns 

• Waveney Valley – Adrian Ramsay 

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