20 September 2023

Responding to the news that the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to weaken the government’s net zero policies, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“This is nothing short of economic and environmental vandalism that will mean higher energy bills, fewer jobs and lost investment all while weakening the UK’s climate action even further.

“Households are already paying way more than they should be doing to heat their homes because of the last time the Conservatives decided to ‘cut the green crap’ [1], while businesses are crying out for more certainty from the government over the green transition which so clearly needs to happen.

“The UK is already not doing enough to reach its climate commitments [2]. Watering them down further, instead of ramping them up, will make it even harder to achieve these and further damage the UK’s climate credentials around the world.

“This reckless political gimmick will mean higher energy bills, colder homes, fewer jobs, more dirty air and more climate chaos. Meanwhile, Labour is not saying it will restore anything the Conservatives undo if they are elected at the next election. [3]

“Once again, this shows why it is so important to elect a group of Green MPs to hold whoever is in government to account and fight for better protections for both people and planet.”

ENDS

Notes

            1

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/mar/19/david-cameron-green-crap-energy-prices

            2

https://www.theccc.org.uk/uk-action-on-climate-change/progress-snapshot/

            3

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66862498

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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15 September 2023

The Green Party has called for an urgent green transition to create new jobs in Wales following the announcement of a deal with the UK government to keep Port Talbot’s steelworks open but with potentially 3,000 job losses. [1]

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“The steel industry is a crucial part of the UK’s economy and has been the backbone of communities up and down the country for generations.

“However, the deal done today highlights the serious lack of investment by both Conservative and Labour governments in future-proofing our economy and ensuring we are able to transition to a greener, more sustainable future while protecting people and the places they live.

“It is simply inexcusable that the government is willing to inflict real damage on to this south Wales community, with a deal that will see thousands of jobs lost. This is not the fair transition to a greener future that people across the UK need or deserve.

“Instead of looking to penny-pinch, the government should be investing now in a green transition, creating millions of jobs through expanding renewables, insulating homes and investing in other more sustainable opportunities.

“We know transitioning to a green economy could create up to a million jobs. If the government had invested in the transition over the last few decades we could have avoided the potentially devastating consequences we are seeing in Port Talbot today.

“That is why we are calling on the government to urgently invest now in decarbonising our economy and building the green jobs we so desperately need.”

ENDS

Notes

            1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66819458

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact the Press Office press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401

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14 September 2023

The House of Lords voted down several government amendments that would have axed pollution controls on housebuilders. The Nutrient Neutrality rules safeguard sensitive areas such as the Norfolk Broads, but the government was going to require local authorities to ignore any evidence of pollution and to have mitigation measures, costing hundreds of millions, funded by the taxpayer.   

Green Party peer, Baroness Jenny Jones, who helped to lead the rebellion in the Lords, said:  

“If the government are so desperate to add to the unacceptable levels of pollution in the water, they can bring the measures back in a separate bill, as part of the Kings Speech. They can then consult properly and justify it to a public who are already fed up with polluted local rivers and beaches. And If I was Prime Minister, I wouldn’t relish having a conversation with King Charles about the horrendous state of the country’s waterways.”  

“Rejecting amendments outright is a power that the Lords can exercise when the government introduces late amendments that have not gone through the proper parliamentary process of scrutiny.   

“Around a fifth of Conservative Party donations have come from property developers in the last decade [1], but that money was drying up and these government amendments were an attempt to get the dirty money flowing again. Fortunately, we have stopped them this time. With a general election due next year, I doubt the government will devote parliamentary time to this polluters’ charter, especially with the water industry already making such a mess of our rivers.” 

Notes 

1. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/20-tory-donations-come-property-tycoons/   

For further details or to arrange an interview please contact the Press Office on 0203 691 9401 / press@greenparty.org.uk   

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12 September 2023

Reacting to news that the Office for Environmental Protection has found that the government and regulators, Ofwat and the Environment Agency, may have failed in their legal duties to enforce clean water standards on privatised firms [1], Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: 

“The government must stop defending the indefensible and act to enforce the very basic expectations the public have for clean rivers and beaches, and clean water to drink. 

“The public are fed up with Ministers claiming that private companies constantly discharging sewage into rivers and onto beaches is unacceptable, but then doing nothing to enforce existing laws. 

“We don’t need months more of legal squabbling between the regulators, government and privatised water companies. 

“We need action now. That means the government forcing companies to invest rather than pay out shareholder dividends, capping excessive pay to failing water company bosses and bringing our water back into public ownership as soon as possible.” 

NOTES 

1. https://www.theoep.org.uk/news/oep-identifies-possible-failures-comply-environmental-law-relation-regulatory-oversight  

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5 September 2023

Responding to the effective bankruptcy of Labour-run Birmingham City Council [1], Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Over the next two years at least 26 councils in some of Britain’s most deprived areas are at risk of going the same way [2] and the Local Government Association has warned councils in England face a funding gap of almost £3 billion just to keep services standing still [3].  

“Thirteen years of Tory austerity has left day-to-day local services delivered by councils crumbling. This cannot be fixed without extra revenue.

“This should serve as a wakeup call to Labour. It’s time to tax the super rich who have seen their wealth mushroom in recent years, so as to provide extra money to maintain vital public services. 

 “Even millionaires themselves have joined economists and politicians from around the world in calling for extra taxes on the richest [4]. Labour needs to play catch-up and pledge to tax the super-rich, or a future Labour government will drag the country into bankruptcy.” 

The Green Party Group Leader on Birmingham City Council, Cllr Julien Pritchard, also blamed mismanagement from the local Labour Administration for the crisis. He said:

“Our Labour-run Council has been dealt an awful hand but they have also played it terribly. They have utterly mismanaged an equal pay crisis with awful consequences. Ordinary Brummies shouldn’t have to pay for Labour’s mess. 

“The government will need to step in to ensure Birmingham residents don’t suffer – it’s vital this isn’t solved with a fire sale of the city’s assets at knock down prices.

“We need to see solutions that ensure those most in need in our city are protected. This includes tackling the Council’s appalling housing conditions, supporting residents through the cost-of-living crisis, and protecting the vital services our residents rely on.”

Notes

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/05/birmingham-city-council-financial-distress-budget-section-114

2. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/28/at-least-26-english-councils-at-risk-of-bankruptcy-in-next-two-years 

3. https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/lga-analysis-councils-face-almost-ps3-billion-funding-gap-over-next-two-years  

4. https://taxextremewealth.com/  

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