18 April 2017

The Green Party has responded to Theresa May’s announcement of an early General Election. 

Caroline Lucas MP has promised a ‘bold, positive vision for a different kind of Britain’ while co-leader Jonathan Bartley said that the Green Party would give people a ‘real alternative to the politics of the past’.

Caroline Lucas said:

“Britain is at a crossroads – and today’s announcement means that people are rightly given a say over the direction this country is going to take. Only the Green Party offers a bold, positive vision for a different kind of Britain. At this election we will stand for an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few; a Britain that’s open to the world and the protection of our precious environment. We will stand up to the politics of hatred and division that is scarring our communities and give people across the country a chance to vote for a better Britain.”

Jonathan Bartley said:

“Theresa May’s announcement today reveals a deep dishonesty at the heart of Government. Despite numerous denials of a plan for an early General Election she has u-turned. The Green Party is ready for this seismic moment in our country’s future. We will be standing candidates in every corner of this country and giving people a real alternative to the politics of the past.”

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13 April 2017

The Green Party has condemned the anti-gay crackdown in Chechnya [1] and has called for the international community to pressure Russia to intervene.

More than 100 men have allegedly been rounded up and imprisoned in ‘concentration camps’ and tortured.

Aimee Challenor, Green Party equalities spokesperson, said:

“What we are seeing in Chechnya is torture. LGBTIQA+ people already face significant levels of abuse and no one should be imprisoned or face violence just for being LGBTIQA+. The international community needs to do more to end this persecution and bring an end to barbaric laws restricting the rights of LGBTIQA+ people.

“The Green Party supports the ongoing work of the Russian LGBT Network in the area. Our sympathy goes out to those who are facing the horrific violence in Chechnya and we stand determined in our push for acceptance and equality for all.”

Notes: 

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39566136

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13 April 2017

On Monday night, a fire ripped through Dunkirk refugee camp in northern France destroying 80% of the site including wooden shelters, community spaces, kitchens and the women’s and children’s centre [1].

The camp was home to approximately 1,500 people, including more than 100 unaccompanied children. According to legal organisation Safe Passage, there were 80 children living in the camp who have the legal right to be reunited with family members in the UK. Their names have been sent to the Home Office [2].

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London and Green Party migration spokesperson, said:

“The situation in Dunkirk is desperately sad. As a result of Monday’s fire, more than 100 unaccompanied minors now find themselves homeless once again, facing the very real risk of violence and exploitation from people smugglers or of going missing among the chaos.

Legal mechanisms exist to help these young people. All 80 unaccompanied minors who have family members in the UK could be reunited with them immediately under the Dublin Regulation. More lone children who are particularly vulnerable should also be eligible for protection in the UK under the ‘Dubs’ scheme, which the government scrapped earlier this year after claiming there was no space for them.

I want the Home Office to know that there’s space in my constituency, London, where local authorities’ offers to take in so-called ‘Dubs’ children have been cruelly rejected. Many other cities including Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow are also ready and waiting to welcome more child refugees.

Theresa May’s hard-line government has so far showed a total lack of compassion for unaccompanied children in Europe, choosing to invest in fencing and barbed wire rather than in their safety and security. Now that Dunkirk is burning, it’s time to throw them a lifeline. I am calling for the Home Office to step up, and fulfill its moral and legal obligations.”

Notes: 

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39562742

2. http://www.citizensuk.org/need_for_urgent_transfer_of_80_children_from_fire_damaged_refugee_camp

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11 April 2017

The Green Party has responded to news that the BBC has seen a leaked copy of Defra’s long-anticipated 25-year plan for nature. [1]

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“With every day that passes, the need for a new Environmental Protection Act grows. We are in the middle of an air pollution emergency, 2016 was the hottest year on record. Species across the world are in decline, and valuable European environmental protections are threatened by Brexit.

“The need for a coherent plan for nature has never been greater and Defra should publish its 25-year plan immediately so the Government enters Brexit negotiations clear on what needs to be done to protect our environment.

“This is not a time for platitudes or shying away from what needs to happen. We need bold action not empty words. Defra’s report should be proposing how we can keep fossil fuels in the ground, make the UK a world leader in renewable energy, ditch diesel and give farmers the real support and help they need to look after their environment.” [2]

Notes:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39557565

2. More information about Caroline Lucas’ call for a new Environmental Protection Act: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2017/02/14/report-environment-faces-cocktails-of-threats-from-brexit/

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9 April 2017

Green Party Animals Spokesperson: ‘If the revelations are reliable, they offer just a snapshot of the absurdity at the heart of Theresa May’s Brexit.’

The Government’s apparent plan to weaken wildlife protections and ‘scale back’ Britain’s climate ambitions reveals the absurdity of Theresa May’s extreme Brexit agenda, according to the Green Party’s Animals spokesperson.

Keith Taylor MEP, who is also a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee and the global Climate Parliament, said:

“If this proves true, it amounts to a promise to sacrifice vital and hard-fought safeguards in a grubby, and plainly desperate, attempt to secure toxic trade deals with nations who have little respect for wildlife or climate change – the most pressing issue we face globally. That the revelations come just days after India made it clear Theresa May could not rely on Britain’s colonial past to expedite trade negotiation is extremely telling. Just over a week on from triggering Article 50 and it would appear the Government is beginning to realise the economic realities of the Prime Minister’s extreme Brexit agenda.”

“Nobody voted to throw away wildlife safeguards or jettison vital climate ambitions. EU wildlife protections and climate change targets are some of the strongest and most ambitious in the world; proof positive of the value of working with our European Neighbours to tackle cross-border challenges. The best and easiest way of maintaining these regulations post-Brexit is through continued membership of the Single Market. Instead, ‘secret documents’ reveal the Government wants to ‘scale back’ our ability to tackle wildlife crime and ignore the urgent need to mitigate the worst effects of climate change – all in a desperate rush to secure damaging free trade deals to compensate for the economic shock of being yanked out of the Single Market. If the revelations are reliable, they offer just a snapshot of the absurdity at the heart of Theresa May’s Brexit.”

“Greens will continue resisting an extreme Brexit that threatens our precious wildlife and our ability to tackle climate change.”

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