9 June 2023

Responding to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s plans to weaken the windfall tax on oil and gas producers, Green Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“It is beyond comprehension that the government seems happy to allow these huge corporations to not only wreck the climate but to profit off the back of the cost-of-living crisis which they themselves have contributed to.

“The windfall tax was supposed to be designed to help cover the cost of government support to ordinary people facing rocketing heating bills over the winter, but because of existing loopholes has only raised, at  £2.8 billion, a small proportion of what was expected. [1]

“Now the Chancellor wants to weaken it further by giving companies a free pass when energy prices fall and to further encourage investment in damaging new fossil fuel extraction.

“Instead, the government should be tightening the tax, closing the loopholes and ensuring the money raised helps people through the cost-of-living crisis and funds the sustainable green energy jobs in the renewable sector we urgently need as our dependence on fossil fuels reduces.

“Our ‘dirty profits tax’ [2] would force the biggest polluters to pay for the damage they cause while protecting everyone else as we transition to a carbon-free future.

“We would make the tax a stepping stone towards a permanent carbon tax on polluting industries.”

NOTES

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/09/north-sea-oil-and-gas-industry-offered-get-out-clause-on-windfall-tax 

[2] https://greenparty.org.uk/news/2022/02/08/greens-call-for-dirty-profits-tax/

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8 June 2023

Caroline Lucas announced this morning that she does not intend to re-stand as a candidate for parliament in the next General Election [1]. 

Lucas has held the seat in Brighton Pavilion since being elected in 2010 and has increased her majority at every subsequent election. 

Commenting on the news, Co-leader Carla Denyer said: “Caroline’s impact on politics in this country cannot be overstated: she truly is a force of nature and has been an extraordinary servant of the people of Brighton Pavilion as well as the Green Party. We are so proud of her achievements.

“Whether securing significant policy changes, shaping the conversation, or modelling a different way of doing politics – Caroline demonstrates how essential it is to have Green voices in UK politics. I’ve learnt so much from her, she is an inspiration to me and to many people inside and outside the Green Party who want to see positive change in politics .”

Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “Caroline’s contribution to our national life has been something to behold for the more than two decades we’ve known one another. Very few politicians can claim to have changed the course of the national debate in the way Caroline has. She has brought so much to us as a party, shown real integrity in her work and added a crucial dimension to our democracy in this country. 

“Having MPs who are genuinely dedicated to standing up for the climate and nature could not be more important than it is right now and that’s why we are striving to get more Green MPs elected at the next General Election so that we can build on Caroline’s achievements.”  

ENDS

Notes

1

https://twitter.com/CarolineLucas/status/1666675402775883778

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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6 June 2023

Responding to reports that the recruitment of nurses by high-income countries from poorer nations such as Ghana is “out of control” and leaving health systems struggling due to a “brain-drain” [1], Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party said:

“The recruitment of nurses from Ghana and other poorer countries shows that the impacts of years of Tory austerity and underfunding of the NHS is having ripple effects beyond our borders. The staff shortages and recruitment crisis facing the NHS is a direct result of Conservative government policies on pay and training. 

“Neither does a £3bn cut in overseas aid help given the context of a global shortage of health workers [2]. The Green Party would double Overseas Development Aid from the current 0.5% of GNP to 1%.   

“Poorer African countries can ill afford to lose nurses, and people in these countries are dying as a result. The WHO has drawn up a list of developing countries that should not be targeted when actively recruiting health or care professionals and NHS employers should be alert to this list [3]. 

“The UK can afford to pay nurses more and invest properly in our NHS, it’s just a question of political priorities. The Green Party would increase nurses’ pay in line with inflation and restore nurses’ bursaries, paid for through a tax on the super-rich. This would go a long way to solving the staffing crisis currently afflicting the NHS.” 

Notes

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65808660 

2. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9567/ 

3. https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/code-practice-red-and-amber-list-countries 

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26 May 2023

Green Party Finance and Economy spokesperson Molly Scott Cato reacted to Chancellor Jermey Hunt’s claim that a recession would be a price worth paying to bring down inflation [1]:

“It’s easy for a millionaire Chancellor to advocate pushing people into losing their jobs and homes because failed Tory economic policies cannot deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

“However, it is totally unacceptable for people on the receiving end of falling wages and rising prices to be told that they are the problem. 

“An effective and compassionate Chancellor would be looking for ways to support the economy without fuelling inflation. The most obvious would be to pay public sector workers in line with inflation. Since their output is not sold in a market it would barely add to inflation.

“This could be funded by taxing the super-rich, whose consumption does contribute to inflation. Profiteering companies, financial speculators and the wealthy need to bear the burden of dealing with a crisis that is rooted in misguided ideology and Tory unfairness.”

NOTES

[1] https://news.sky.com/story/chancellor-comfortable-with-recession-if-it-brings-down-inflation-12889607?lin 

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25 May 2023

As figures from the Office for National Statistics show net migration to the UK reached 606,000 last year [1], the Green Party has reiterated its call for a new approach which is both compassionate and rational.

Co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“The talk today will be on the total number of migrants entering the UK but we must never forget that every person coming to the UK is a human being with the same ambitions, dreams and hopes that we all have.

“The figures are also misleading since more than a third of non-EU immigration is made up of international students who have been actively encouraged to come to the country and will eventually return home. There are also many thousands from Ukraine and Hong Kong, who have been received with compassion by the British people. 

“As a rational step, Greens support separating the statistics out into those seeking asylum, students and those seeking work. We also welcome those seeking to work in the UK, who often bring vital skills and help boost the economy. We would scrap minimum income rules for visas and want the UK to negotiate to rejoin the EU free movement zone. 

“Discussions on migration have become dominated by divisive rhetoric, stoked by the Conservatives and the right-wing media. Unlike Labour, we aren’t afraid to challenge this narrative. We welcome the diversity that people from other countries and societies bring to our educational establishments, our workplaces and our communities.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2022

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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