21 June 2017
*Lucas says failing to take meaningful action on climate is a ‘near-criminal act of political vandalism’
*Lucas:”The overall picture is one of a Government which has run out of steam, and a Prime Minister who has lost authority”
Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, has slammed the ‘hollowed out’ Government’s ‘stunning lack of ambition’ in their Queen’s speech today.
In a Queen’s Speech dominated by Brexit the Government failed to propose any meaningful plan on tackling climate change, refused to end the NHS pay cap and proposed a clampdown on migration.
Caroline Lucas has tabled two amendments to the Queen’s Speech. The first calls for an Environmental Protection Act to strengthen green laws in the Brexit process, and the second seeks to immediately protect EU Nationals’ rights.
Responding to the Queen’s Speech, Lucas said:
“This hollowed out Government has produced a stunningly unambitious Queen’s speech at a time when Britain desperately needs a change of direction. Failing to propose any meaningful plans to tackle climate change is a near-criminal act of political vandalism, and refusing to give our hard pressed NHS workers the pay rise they deserve reveals a Government utterly out of touch. The proposed immigration clampdown sees an increasingly hardline Government doubling down on plans they know will wreck our economy.
“Though climate-deniers in the DUP might be celebrating this Queen’s Speech, it simply isn’t a serious programme of Government. This speech should have included an Environmental Protection Act and a guarantee for EU Nationals that their rights would be protected, but these basic Brexit laws were nowhere to be seen.
“While some proposals in the Queen’s speech deserve praise – in particular plans to help people suffering from mental health problems – the overall picture is one of a Government which has run out of steam, and a Prime Minister who has lost authority.”
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