8 October 2021

• Climate and nature emergencies need to be tackled in tandem
• Climate and Ecology Bill would enshrine action in law

Greens have welcomed a new report by the Wildlife Trusts which says that COP26 must be a turning point for nature and that the climate emergency cannot be tackled without ambitious plans to address the nature crisis too.

The report says that Net Zero needs nature but nature needs Net Zero; that restoring nature locks up carbon, but these carbon stores are at risk if we fail to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Similarly, the Climate and Ecology Bill, which has been tabled in parliament by Green MP Caroline Lucas, calls for a joined-up approach to address the nature emergency and climate crisis together. The Bill now has the support of 110 MPs across 8 political parties.

Amelia Womack, Deputy leader of the Green Party, said:

“This new report throws a spotlight on the importance of nature in addressing the climate crisis but also how rising temperatures and the chaos being caused by our changing climate are devastating and disrupting nature and wildlife. It is essential that we tackle the climate and nature emergencies together.

“This is exactly what the Climate and Ecology Bill, put forward by our Green MP Caroline Lucas, seeks to do. It would address the nature emergency shoulder to shoulder with the climate crisis.

“This would mean that many of the demands made by the Wildlife Trusts, such as upland peat restoration, a complete ban on bottom-trawling fishing and incentivising farmers to manage their land for nature, would be enshrined in law.”

ENDS

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8 October 2021

• Newly-elected co-leader will speak at event organised by Campaign Against Empty Homes
• Denyer will back a call to retrofit 270,000 long-term empty homes to help alleviate housing, health and climate crises
• Denyer: “A retrofitting revolution would bring long-term empty homes and council estates back into use, providing warm, comfortable homes for many of those who currently can’t afford one, while helping to reduce emissions”

Newly-elected Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer will be speaking at a Day of Action on Empty Homes, where she will back a call to retrofit 270,000 long term empty homes, as well as council estates, to help solve the housing, climate and health crises.

Denyer, who was elected as Green Party co-leader alongside Adrian Ramsay last week [1], will be speaking at the event organised by the Campaign Against Empty Homes on Saturday [2].

Denyer said:

“The housing crisis in this country is hurting families and communities across England and Wales and causing serious damage to the climate and our natural environment.

“Before Covid, more than 3 million people in England and a further 155,000 in Wales were living in fuel poverty [3]. By failing to adequately insulate homes the government is forcing people to spend money they don’t have, to burn fossil fuels that the world can’t afford to burn.

“This does not need to be the case. A retrofitting revolution would bring long-term empty homes and council estates back into use, providing warm, comfortable homes for many of those who currently can’t afford one, while helping to reduce emissions.

“This is a clear case of where the Green solution is not only the best for the environment, but it also means communities do not get broken up and families would not have to face the prospect of getting through another winter while struggling to pay their fuel bills.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/10/01/carla-denyer-and-adrian-ramsay-announced-as-new-green-party-co-leaders/

2

https://www.actiononemptyhomes.org/News/day-of-action-october-9th

3

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/966509/Annual_Fuel_Poverty_Statistics_LILEE_Report_2021__2019_data_.pdf

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5 October 2021

The Green Party has said the Pandora Papers provide further evidence of Russian influence over and interference in UK democracy.

The Papers reveal that a former banker, Lubov Chernukhin, is one of the biggest female donors in recent British political history [1]. She donates enough to the Tories to qualify for membership of a small group of ultra-rich donors who meet monthly with Johnson and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak. 

Chernukhin’s husband is a former deputy finance minister under Russian president, Vladimir Putin. There is also evidence that the firm of a Russian-born oil tycoon has made huge donations to the Conservative party. 

Furthermore, while Russian president, Vladimir Putin, does not appear in the files by name, numerous close associates do. 

Earlier this year Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, was one of six politicians who took the government to court over refusing to establish a public inquiry over alleged Russian interference in UK elections [2].

Green Party co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, said:

“Boris Johnson and his government have consistently failed to investigate Russian interference in our electoral processes and therefore failed to adequately protect our democracy. This is hardly surprising given that the Tory party receives vast sums from multi-millionaire Russian donors, who make their millions from dodgy off-shore dealings. Many of them are also close to the Putin regime. No wonder the government didn’t want to follow up on the Russia Report.

“Dominic Raab has used Law and Order day at the Tory Party Conference to attack the Human Rights Act, which has been key to some of the most important justice fights over the last 30 years and offers important protection against an overbearing government. This is just the sort of thing one might expect to hear from authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin.

“Voter suppression, attempts to limit the constitutional scope of the judiciary, and attacks on the freedom to protest are all policies more appropriate to a dictatorship than a flourishing democracy.”

Notes

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/news/live/2021/oct/04/pandora-papers-live-sunak-says-hmrc-will-review-leaked-documents?page=with:block-615b26408f0885f4b086d34b#block-615b26408f0885f4b086d34b 

[2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/russian-election-interference-uk-high-court-b1870671.html 

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1 October 2021

• Green members elect Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as new co-leaders
• Denyer: “We are at a crucial moment in history and it is clear that the other major political parties have failed”
• Ramsay: “More than ever, we need strong Green voices to make the compelling case for a Green transition, a just transition”

Green Party members have elected Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as the new co-leaders of the party. 

Denyer and Ramsay, who become co-leaders as a new opinion poll once again puts the Green Party in third place with 9% support [1], have pledged to make the party an electoral force able to win power and influence in every corner of England and Wales [2]. 

Carla Denyer, a Bristol City councillor and Green Party parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, pushed through Europe’s first ever Climate Emergency declaration at her local authority.

Denyer said:

“We are at a crucial moment in history and it is clear that the other major political parties have failed to bring about the change that is necessary. More than ever before, it is vital that Green policies are adopted for the benefit of our climate and our communities.

“We are thrilled to have been elected as Green Party leaders, but this is now where the hard work begins, to elect more MPs and more councillors across the country. It is only by doing this that we can make the difference we all so desperately want to see. 

“We are so grateful to all of the members who voted for us at such an important time for our party, the country and the world at large.”

Adrian Ramsay, a former Green Party Deputy Leader and environmental charity CEO, who was part of the team that got Caroline Lucas elected as the first Green MP in Brighton Pavilion in 2010, said: 

“Our country is in crisis – pumps running out of petrol, empty shelves in supermarkets and millions heading into winter fearing rising fuel bills. All worsened by our society’s addiction to fossil fuels.

“More than ever, we need strong Green voices to make the compelling case for a Green transition, a just transition.

“This will deliver practical alternatives that release people from dependence on fossil fuels. Insulating people’s homes and installing renewable energy systems. A clean, reliable public transport system. Producing our food in less intensive, more nature-friendly ways. 

“All of which would create sustainable, secure jobs with decent rates of pay – and help prevent the next crisis.”

The new co-leaders of the Green party won after receiving 44% of the first preference votes and then 62% of the second round vote including second preferences.

Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond came second with 30% of first preference votes. Womack remains as deputy leader. 

Shahrar Ali came third with 21% of first preference votes.

The other candidates were Martin Hemingway and Tina Rothery who stood to be co-leaders, and Ashley Gunstock.

ENDS

Notes

1

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/09/29/voting-intention-con-39-lab-31-28-29-sep

2

https://carlaandadrian.co.uk/

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27 September 2021

The Green Party has criticised the Labour leadership for failing to ensure the party backed a vote to support proportional representation at its conference today [Monday 27 September]. [1]

Labour conference defeated the motion after it was sent to a card vote. This came after 150 Constituency Labour Parties submitted motions on the topic and more than 83% of members previously said they support the idea. [2]

Zack Polanski, Green Party spokesperson on Democracy and Citizen Engagement, said:

“This is a really disappointing decision by the Labour Party which shows a real lack of leadership and vision from the top of the party.

“Labour members overwhelmingly support electoral reform, yet Keir Starmer has done next to nothing to ensure that his party’s delegates voted through a motion which could have revolutionised British politics and put an end to the Tory stranglehold on our failed democratic system.

“In the conference hall, speaker after speaker argued passionately for Labour to adopt proportional representation in its next manifesto, yet it still did not pass. Without proportional representation and electoral cooperation Labour has an impossible mountain to climb and the country faces another five years of chaos with the Conservatives.

“It is clear that British voters want to move on from the failure and division caused by the two-party system, and so it is extremely worrying to see Labour fail to grasp the need for a more cooperative and collaborative form of politics which will benefit everyone.

“The Green Party has always supported a system that translates votes fairly into seats. This is the very minimum we can expect from a country that calls itself a democracy. If people want to back a party that will consistently fight for this, then they know where to come.”

Notes

[1] https://labourlist.org/2021/09/conference-rejects-motion-committing-labour-to-proportional-representation/

[2] https://labourlist.org/2021/07/exclusive-83-of-members-say-labour-should-back-proportional-representation/

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