Banning oil and gas licences: how brave and bold will Labour be?
In the wake of unfounded reports that Ed Miliband will announce a ban on new drilling in the North Sea [1], co-leader and MP for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer, has urged the energy secretary to do just that, and “send a clear signal to the fossil fuel industry that they have no future in the UK.” Denyer said:
“It didn’t take long for the right wing press to come out waving the banner for the fossil fuel industry together with the usual round of scare stories about a dent to the economy and tax revenues if we don’t continue to burn oil and gas. Those cheerleading for oil and gas corporations must not be allowed to derail us from the path towards a green transition. That is where our future prosperity and thousands of good new jobs lies. We need to seize the opportunities that greening the economy will bring.
“This is a test to see how brave and bold Labour will be and whether they will send a clear signal to the fossil fuel industry that they have no future in the UK. Ed Miliband certainly should ban all future licences for new North Sea oil and gas fields, and do so immediately.
“The Green Party would like to see him go further by revoking the licence for Rosebank which has the potential for producing around 500 million climate-wrecking barrels of oil. We would also like to see a carbon tax on polluters to help drive the transition to cleaner and cheaper renewable sources of energy.”
Responding to the publication of OFWAT’s a draft verdict on water companies’ five-year spending plans and bill increases to 2030, Green Party MP, Sian Berry said:
“We’re today calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to put all water companies into public hands.
“The provision of such a basic human right should not be based on profit.
“The idea that water companies will hike bills while so many people are struggling to get to the end of the month is horrific. Meanwhile, some companies, like Thames Water, are still paying shareholder dividends, which is deplorable.
“Public ownership is a matter of both social and environmental principle. But, as today’s verdict from OFWAT shows, it is also a pragmatic necessity.
“Why not take decisive action and show real leadership by saying that all water companies should be in public hands?
“Once this is done, government can invest affordably in the creaking infrastructure without all the harm falling onto our bills, and into our rivers and oceans that are currently being treated as open sewers.”
Green Party MPs arrive at parliament pledging to push the new Labour government to be bolder and better
The four newly elected Green Party Members of Parliament, Sian Berry MP, Ellie Chowns MP, Adrian Ramsay MP, and Carla Denyer MP, arrived at Parliament today, marking a significant moment in the party’s history after they quadrupled their representation in the Commons at the elections. The MPs pledged to hold the Labour government to account, urging them to adopt bold and necessary changes to improve Britain.
In their opening move, the Green Party MPs have laid out a clear and achievable ten-step plan, which they describe as a “litmus test for the direction this government plans to travel.” These steps, the Greens argue, are essential for demonstrating the Labour government’s commitment to serious and progressive change within their first 100 days in office.
Ellie Chowns MP commented after their arrival in parliament that “We are here to ensure that the Labour government doesn’t just talk the talk about change but walks the walk. Our ten steps are practical, achievable, and necessary and can all easily be delivered within 100 days with political will. They will stand as a signpost for whether Labour are serious about changing Britain for good. Our message today is that we will be relentless in both holding them to account and driving forward positive good ideas.”
The 10 steps the Greens say the new Labour Government must take in its first 100 days:
Settle a Pay Deal with Junior Doctors: Properly value their work and ensure fair compensation.
Remove the Two-Child Benefit Cap: End this policy to support families more equitably.
Prosecute Major Water Companies: Bring criminal charges against companies persistently discharging sewage into rivers and seas.
Mandatory Solar Panels and Wind Power: Make solar panels compulsory on new suitable homes and reverse the de-facto ban on onshore wind projects.
Local Rail Link Plan: Develop a comprehensive plan to reopen local rail links to enhance connectivity.
Emergency Dentistry Summit: Address the urgent crisis in dental care with an emergency summit.
Restore Public Sector Workers’ Right to Strike: Re-establish the right to strike and improve public-sector workers’ conditions.
Recognise the State of Palestine: Officially recognise Palestine and end arms sales to countries at risk of violating international law.
Introduce a Natural History GCSE: Enrich education by including a natural history course in the curriculum.
Strengthen Renters’ Rights: End no-fault evictions and provide local authorities with new powers to control rents.
Adrian Ramsay MP and Co-Leader of The Green Party emphasised the importance of these steps, stating, “These are not lofty ideals but practical actions that can be implemented quickly. They will have a real, positive impact on people’s lives and the environment. I am delighted that as we meet to enter parliament Labour have already committed to reversing the de facto ban on onshore wind. Now they must go further and faster still and make solar power mandatory on all suitable new build homes. They can, and they must do this in their first 100 days.”
Green Party Co-Leader, Carla Denyer MP added, “We have a clear mandate from our voters to push for these changes. Every one of our record-breaking number of Green votes was one for real hope and real change. We will push Labour every day to make sure we see the transformation of Britain that we are all so desperate to see, that our frontline workers are paid properly, that our public transport is fit for purpose and that we have a foreign policy built for peace not profit.”
Sian Berry MP concluded, “Today we carry on the work of Caroline Lucas but with the strength of four times the number of voices in the House of Commons. Today is a new beginning. Greens will work tirelessly to ensure that the Labour government is bolder and does better than its promises. The country needs it to deliver more affordable and comfortable council homes, give local authorities the power to introduce rent controls, and do more to support those struggling every day to get by.”
There is a better, fairer, greener way to build the houses we need
Responding to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech to investors and developers today, Green Party Co-leader, and Green MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay, said:
“Labour is right to identify the housing crisis and the need create the infrastructure needed to reach net zero as priorities for the new government.
“We will support Labour when it gets it right, and also offer alternatives when Labour is going off track.
“There is a better, fairer, greener way to build the houses we need for people.
“And there is better, fairer, greener way to create the infrastructure we need to meet the urgent need to shift our economy away from fossil fuels to renewables.
“Neither involves writing blank cheques for profit-motivated developers or trampling over the rights of local communities.
“Labour should look at our Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter (1).
“This sets out how we can build affordable homes to buy and new council housing to rent. These need to be ecologically sustainable homes for the future with good public transport links, and the access to GP surgeries and schools that every community needs to thrive.
“These are not the homes being built today, which are out of the reach of too many people and do not come with the services that every community needs.
“Labour is right to end the de facto ban on onshore wind, but the new infrastructure that will be required to help us get to net zero as soon as possible, must not run roughshod over local communities.
“We need to take people with us as we transition to a new green economy. Green investment done the right way is a win for communities and the planet. That includes community ownership of new renewables.”
10 steps Labour must take in the first 100 days to show they’re serious about real change
The Green Party has laid down the first 10 steps the new Labour government’s must take in their first 100 days to show they’re serious about changing Britain. These steps Greens say will act as a “litmus test for the direction this government plans to travel”.
The ten steps that Greens have laid out are clear but easily achievable reforms. They are:
Settle a pay deal with the Junior Doctors that properly values their work
Remove the two-child benefit cap
Bring criminal charges against Southern Water, Northumbrian Water, South West Water, United Utilities, Thames Water, Wessex Water Anglian Water, Severn Trent and Yorkshire Water for persistent discharge of sewage into our rivers and seas.
Make solar panels compulsory on all new suitable homes and reverse the de-facto ban on onshore wind.
Produce a plan for local rail links that could be reopened
Call an emergency dentistry summit
Restore the right to strike to public-sector workers
Recognise the state of Palestine and end arms sales to all countries where there’s a serious risk of them being used in breach of international law
Introduce a natural history GCSE
End no fault evictions and strengthen renters rights, including new powers to local authorities to control rents
Commenting, Green Party Co-Leader and newly elected MP for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer said,
“Keir Starmer promised change. And so today we’ve outlined a sketch of what immediate change looks like. It means valuing our frontline NHS workers, taking immediate steps towards lasting peace in Israel and Palestine, turbo-charging the renewables revolution and much more. These are issues where the public is demanding change and they are things this next Labour government could, and should, deliver in their first 100 days.”
Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Co-Leader and MP for Waveney Valley, added,
“These first actions will act as litmus test for the direction this government plans to travel. Are they serious about defending the environment and restoring public services or are we going to see more managed decline on an already broken system? In the medium-term it is clear that Labour need to be honest about the need to raise more revenue to properly fund the systemic change this country needs. It is within this government’s gift to properly fund the NHS but this is impossible if they refuse to consider introducing a modest wealth tax for the very richest in our society. Budgets are already stretched and if they push them much more I worry the system will snap.”