10 March 2022

• ‘Neither Conservatives nor Labour are stepping up to the level required in this humanitarian crisis.’

Migration and Refugee Support Spokesperson Benali Hamdache said,

‘Priti Patel is making our country look cruel and incompetent in the face of the humanitarian disaster unfolding across our continent. But Labour’s failure to back visa-free access is even more shocking and it is deeply depressing to see Labour politicians mimicking the tough stance of this awful government.

“The vast majority of the public want to allow Ukrainian refugees to come to Britain without having a visa as they flee for their lives. Yet politicians from both main parties are unrelenting in applying cruel bureaucracy that is rejecting refugees at our borders. The UK stands alone in Europe in turning away those in need. This is a national disgrace. 

“Neither Conservatives nor Labour are stepping up to the level required in this humanitarian crisis.

“The need to waive visas has never been more pressing, and that welcome must be extended to Black, Asian and Arab refugees fleeing conflict, not only those from Ukraine.”

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8 March 2022

Responding to the announcement from Boris Johnson that the UK is to phase out oil imports from Russia by the end of this year [1], co-leader Carla Denyer said: 

“The decision by the UK government to phase out oil imports and the European Commission to cut its dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year [2], goes right to the heart of this deadly invasion. Fossil fuel money is blood money as it is funding Putin’s brutal assault on Ukraine.

“However, it is crucial that this announcement by Boris Johnson is not a prelude to an energy strategy that seeks to ramp up North Sea oil and gas production or reboot deeply unpopular fracking.

“We need to end our dependency on all oil and gas and urgently invest in domestic renewables and home insulation. This is the way to address the cost of living crisis affecting millions of households as well as tackle the climate emergency and deliver longer term energy security.”

Notes 

[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-to-ban-russian-oil-imports/

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_1511

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7 March 2022

The Green Party has warned the Prime Minister that there is no such thing as the “climate change pass” that he is arguing for, because climate change doesn’t wait for politics [1]. The party says that only by going further and faster on climate action will the UK government be able to reduce its reliance on Russian gas.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer has urged Boris Johnson not to be fooled by climate-sceptic Conservative MPs and right-wing commentators who are now using the travesty of war in Ukraine as an opportunistic attempt to further their pro-fossil fuel views.

Denyer said:

“There is no such thing as a ‘climate change pass’ – unfortunately climate change doesn’t wait for politics. Last week’s UN climate report [2] said ‘any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.’ It is clear that only by reducing our need for fossil fuels will we be able to both stop climate change and rid this world of the tyranny that goes hand in hand with this dirty source of energy.

“The Conservative MPs and right-wing agitators who are now calling for the UK’s net zero targets to be scrapped are helping to fuel Putin’s war machine in Ukraine.

“It is our reliance on fossil fuels that have stopped us from taking the necessary action so far which would have any impact on Putin. We must be doing everything we can now to reduce our reliance on Russia’s fossil fuels by massively ramping up our installation of renewable energy sources before next winter.

“To deliberately increase our reliance on fossil fuels at this time would not only seriously impact our efforts to tackle climate change, it would leave us even more exposed to the whims of dictators and tyrannous individuals seeking to exploit such frailties now and in the future.

“If the Prime Minister was serious about reducing our reliance on Russian gas he would start the massive investment we have repeatedly called for in renewables, energy efficiency and the skills required to deliver such projects in order for us to reach net zero as quickly as possible.” [3]

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnsons-call-to-relax-green-target-jbtvrfklx

2

https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/resources/press/press-release/

3

The Green Party’s 2019 general election manifesto set out how to spend £100 billion a year for a decade to make Britain net zero as quickly as possible. The party has continued to call for this urgent action at every opportunity since

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6 March 2022

• Greens commit to uphold the values of peaceful protest and direct action
• Jenny Jones slams government as hypocrites for condemning Russian governments’ mass arrest of peaceful protestors, “while passing laws that allow them to do the same in this country.”

Green Party members have today voted to support a policy that would repeal the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill at their party conference. 

Green peers Jenny Jones and Natalie Bennett have been staunch critics of the Bill and lobbied Labour hard in the Lords, persuading them to reject a series of amendments which would effectively criminalise protest [1]. The Bill is currently in ‘ping-pong’ stage between the Commons and Lords. 

Jenny Jones said:

“I am delighted that conference has backed this motion which commits us to repealing this dangerous piece of legislation should it become law. It infringes on the essential rights of free speech, free protest, free assembly, and free conscience.

“Greens have demonstrated that they are committed to upholding the values of peaceful protest and direct action, recognising that they form an essential part of a healthy democracy. This is a government of hypocrites who rightly condemn the Russian governments’ mass arrest of peaceful protestors, while passing laws that allow them to do the same in this country.”

Notes

1. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2022/01/14/lords-likely-to-vote-down-draconian-protest-clauses-in-policing-bill-after-green-campaign/

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6 March 2022

• Molly Scott Cato: “It’s time for us to ensure that banks play their part in the transition to a green economy”

The Green Party has passed a hard-hitting new policy to deprive the fossil fuel sector of investment finance and accelerate the transition towards clean forms of energy [1].

Celebrating the passing of the new policy at the Party’s Spring conference, Green spokesperson on finance and economy Molly Scott Cato said:

“In spite of all the fine words from financiers in Glasgow at the COP26 climate summit, our largest banks are still pumping billions into new oil and gas production, pursuing dirty profits and putting the lives of our grandchildren at risk [2]. 

“This motion means the government will have to put its money where its mouth is on the climate crisis. They will need to bring forward rules and regulations that force the UK finance sector to clean up its act and play its part in the rapid transition away from fossil fuels. Banks, stock markets and other financial actors need to shift finance towards the sustainable sectors of the green economy.

“It is time to hold UK banks to account, starting at the top, with the Bank of England. A condition of holding a UK banking licence must be the presentation of an investment strategy outlining a clear pathway to divest from fossil fuel assets.  

“With UK pension funds holding around £128 billion in fossil fuel assets, regulation is also desperately needed to eliminate fossil fuel assets from securities portfolios, pensions and insurance products.”

“The finance sector has for too long been funding climate chaos and this has been diverting finance from investing in a healthier and cleaner economy. The pursuit of dirty profits means that we will all pay the price. It’s time for us to ensure that banks play their part in the transition to a green economy.”  

ENDS

Notes

1

Key elements of the new policy:

• The Bank of England will be required to produce a climate roadmap for the financial system; with no bank holding a UK banking licence permitted to invest in new fossil fuel development; UK pension and investment funds will be required to remove fossil fuel assets from their investment portfolios.
• The Bank of England should adopt a policy of credit guidance with minimum but rapidly increasing quotas of lending to fund a just but urgent sustainability transition.
• We will introduce credit bans/ceilings for unsustainable activities. These targets will be mandatory for all banks relying on the central bank as a lender of last resort.
• The Bank of England’s mandate will be changed so that funding the sustainability transition becomes a central objective, alongside the maintenance of price stability.
• The UK will adopt a position in negotiations at the Basel Committee that fossil fuel assets will be subjected to higher risk weights and capital surcharges until their value as collateral is gradually eliminated

2

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60366054

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