Not a Food Strategy at all – it’s junk, says Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay

Commenting on the government’s Food Strategy for England [1], which is launched today, co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, responded:

“This is not really a strategy at all – it’s junk. The failure to expand free and nutritional school meals or intervene to challenge fast and highly processed food will leave millions of children living in poverty, undernourished and in poor health.

“A genuine strategy would offer something new on the menu – it would look to transform our food and farming sector to tackle the cost of living crisis, improve public health and address the climate and ecological emergency. Instead, we’ve been dished up leftovers from an era that serves Tory paymasters, especially large scale farmers and the processed food industry.

“Up to a third of our carbon emissions are related to the food supply chain while chemical reliant farming has played a significant part in the loss of two-thirds of our wildlife over the last 50 years.

“England and Wales have fantastic examples of regenerative and organic farming methods in action, supplying healthy and sustainable food while capturing carbon in the soil and improving biodiversity. These are the approaches that the government needs to look to in shaping a healthy, resilient and greener food and farming sector.”

Notes

[1] Food strategy criticised by government’s own adviser – BBC News

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Greens criticise Boris Johnson’s divisive housing policy that will harm poorest households

9 June 2022

Responding to the news that Boris Johnson is expected to say he wants to extend the right to buy in a speech later today [1], co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Carla Denyer said:

“This is clearly a cynical attempt by the Prime Minister to gain a quick headline for a policy that is supposed to sound aspirational but is in fact divisive and will actually harm the poorest households.

“Extending the right to buy to housing association tenants would simply reduce the amount of affordable social housing we have in this country, when we are already chronically short of places for people on the lowest incomes to live. [2]

“Once again, the Prime Minister’s sums simply don’t add up, with the costs far exceeding the amounts proposed for this ill-judged plan [3]. But even if this policy did go ahead, it’s not clear that this is what people even want. [4]

“Everybody has the right to a safe, warm and affordable place to call home. As such, the Green Party would empower local authorities to bring empty homes back into use and create 100,000 new homes for social rent a year, built to high energy efficiency standards to ensure low bills.

“At the same time, we should be looking to transform the lives of private renters by introducing rent controls that are linked to average local income rates and ending no-fault evictions across the UK, as Greens are already doing as part of the Scottish Government [5].”

ENDS

Notes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61739816

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/is-right-to-buy-for-housing-association-residents-the-answer-to-affordable-homeownership-75958

https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1534798842222235650

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/the-month-in-numbers-who-wants-the-right-to-buy-75724

https://news.stv.tv/politics/tenants-rights-minister-patrick-harvie-hopes-rent-controls-will-help-to-change-balance-of-power-in-sector

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Greens condemn Conservative failure to oust law-breaker Boris Johnson

6 June 2022

Responding to the news that Conservative MPs have voted to keep Boris Johnson as leader, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“It is extremely disappointing that Conservative MPs have once again failed to gather the courage to do what is right for the country and get rid of a Prime Minister who not only broke the law but then went on to lie about it.

“The revelations about parties in Downing Street while the rest of the country was in lockdown have not only been an insult to all those who abided by the rules, even when that meant making heartbreaking decisions to do so, they have also eroded trust in politics to a dangerous degree.

“And it is not just partygate that has shown Boris Johnson is unfit for this office. From unlawfully proroguing Parliament, to the delays in locking down at the beginning of the pandemic and the botched evacuation of Afghanistan, his tenure as Prime Minister has been marked by crisis after crisis, with us all paying the cost.

“However, it is clear that Boris Johnson is not the only bad apple. The entire Conservative tree is rotten to the core. This government is in complete disarray at a time when we need true leadership and a government people can trust. Yet all we are seeing from the Conservative party is increasingly desperate attempts to cling on to power and save its own skin.”

ENDS

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Government proceeds from windfall tax must do more for those on lowest incomes, Greens say

26 May 2022

Responding to the Chancellor’s announcement of a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies to help people pay rising costs [1], Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said:

“While we welcome the fact that the government has finally seen sense over taxing the ‘dirty profits’ made by oil and gas companies to help people pay their soaring energy bills, this announcement has come far too late and ultimately fails to get to the root of the problem.

“The government has delayed and dithered far too long over this, with a devastating impact on households up and down the country. They seem totally out of touch with the millions of people forced to choose between feeding their children or paying their bills.

“The money raised from this windfall tax should be wholly targeted towards those on the lowest incomes, who are currently facing a much higher rate of inflation because they are forced to spend so much of their income on energy costs.

“This is why we have repeatedly called not just for the restoration of the Universal Credit £20 increase but doubling it to £40 – on a permanent basis – and making sure those on legacy benefits see the same increase. We need to see a serious and permanent intervention to address the shocking and rising rates of poverty that disfigure our society.

“Now the government has finally seen sense over rising taxes to help the poorest, it must go on to look at the positive impacts even larger tax reforms could have. Well-implemented wealth, land value and carbon taxes would provide genuine support for people and planet, to ensure we tackle the energy crisis and move towards a sustainable future.

“What this Conservative government still does not understand is that the cheapest bill is the one you don’t have to pay. Rishi Sunak seems to have completely missed the memo about the energy crisis and the need for energy efficiency. He should be using the money raised from fossil fuel companies to fund the evolution towards a low-energy and renewable-energy future.

“The massive profits made by the fossil companies could be used to insulate our leaky homes and to invest in renewables so that we are resilient in the face of future energy shocks.”

ENDS

Notes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61583651

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Boris Johnson must take full responsibility for law breaking in Downing Street, say Greens

25 May 2022

Responding to publication of the damning Sue Gray report, which highlights “failures of leadership and judgement in No 10 and the Cabinet Office” [1], Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“This report has to be the final curtain for Boris Johnson’s squalid attempt to play the role of Prime Minister.

“Never before have we seen such a complete disregard for what it means to hold this office, with a litany of rule-breaking, lies and cover-ups leaving the public with no trust in this government, at a time when it is needed the most.

“We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis which is getting worse and is having serious consequences for households and families up and down the country. Yet at a time when the government should be doing everything it can to help, it is in complete disarray with Boris Johnson doing everything he can to avoid taking responsibility.

“This has to stop now. We don’t need any more reports or investigations to tell us all what we already know. Boris Johnson must take full responsibility for the rule-breaking he took part in and presided over. He must resign now.”

ENDS

Notes

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/findings-of-the-second-permanent-secretarys-investigation-into-alleged-gatherings-on-government-premises-during-covid-restrictions?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=e7f100f8-1e9b-4ee0-bde9-83cded1cf523&utm_content=immediately

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