31 January 2023

The latest challenge from environmental campaigners to Bristol Airport expansion has been rejected at Bristol Civil Court [1]. Responding to the news, Green Party co-leader and Councillor for Clifton Down in Bristol, Carla Denyer, said:

“This is a devastating outcome. Bristol airport’s unnecessary expansion would mean thousands of extra flights producing one million tonnes of CO2 equivalents every year. This when the science tells us clearly that we must be drastically reducing our emissions. Not to mention more traffic, noise and air pollution for local people, as well as the risks expansion will cause to endangered local species. All this in face of clear local opposition.

“To make matters worse, we know that up to 20 other regional airports have their own plans to expand and will have been watching this case very closely to see if the government will enforce its own climate policy. As the government’s own committee on climate change has pointed out, airport expansion is completely incompatible with our commitments on climate change.

“Unfortunately, both the Conservatives and Labour want to have their cake and eat it when it comes to climate change, claiming to support climate action but unwilling to accept any change from business as usual. In the real world there is no such thing as green aviation or carbon neutral jet fuel. We must listen to the scientists, not the airports or aviation industry.”

Notes

[1] Bristol Airport: Judge rejects challenge against expansion plans – Bristol Live (bristolpost.co.uk)

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A £270,000 carriageway and footway resurfacing scheme on Cherry Road, Belfast commenced on Monday 23 January 2023.

The Department of Health would ask for respectful public debate on the future of health and social care services.

30 January 2023

The Green Party has called on Rishi Sunak to publish his tax returns before he marks his first 100 days in office on Thursday [February 2] to increase transparency in a government that is losing the confidence of the public on a daily basis.

Following the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative Party chairman for breaches of the ministerial code over his tax affairs, Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski has urged the Prime Minister to publish his own tax returns, and to insist all government ministers do the same, in a bid to increase trust in politics.

Mr Sunak has previously promised he will publish them at some point, and had suggested he would do it before Christmas, but there is still no sign of them despite the fact he will reach his first 100 days milestone this week.

Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski said:

“Rishi Sunak has spent nearly 100 days as Prime Minister yet despite his claim to clean up the image of the Conservative Party we continue to see a government lurching from crisis to crisis.

“This latest controversy with his former party chairman is another step towards the complete erosion of trust the public has in politics. 

“Meanwhile, dealing with one crisis of their own making after another has left this government with little time to focus on what they should be doing – helping people through the cost of living crisis and reversing years of damage to our environment and public services.

“It is vital this government begins to rebuild the trust of the public and gets on with the important work it is currently neglecting. A small, but important, first step would be for Rishi Sunak, and all of his Cabinet, to publish their tax returns, in the interests of transparency and to be full and frank with the people they are supposed to be serving.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/nov/16/rishi-sunak-says-he-hopes-to-publish-tax-return-by-christmas

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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The Department for the Economy has today published a statistical bulletin: Essential Skills Enrolments and Outcomes in Northern Ireland from 2017/18 to 2021/22.