Reacting to the Autumn Budget statement delivered by the chancellor Rachel Reeves today, Green Party Treasury spokesperson, Adrian Ramsay MP, said: 

“Instead of delivering a transformational Budget to tax extreme wealth fairly and tackle the cost-of-living crisis, this Labour Government has once again chosen to paper over the cracks – with half-measures that won’t do enough to fix the deep-rooted problems in our economy that are keeping ordinary people in poverty while the super-rich get richer.

“The Chancellor spoke about asking everyone to make a contribution, but it is frankly inexcusable that she has made the political choice to squeeze households already struggling with the cost of essentials, whilst letting multimillionaires and billionaires off the hook. 

“It is indefensible that the Chancellor is cutting vital home insulation funding, one of the best ways to lower bills. 

“And whilst scrapping the cruel two-child benefit cap will be a huge relief to families across the country, it is unforgivable that it has taken 18 months for the Chancellor to acknowledge the terrible harm and distress this cap has caused to so many families. Far more action is needed to end the scandal of child poverty.”

ENDS

Green Party budget demands here. 

Reacting to proposals from the Justice Secretary, David Lammy, to massively restrict the right to a jury trial, Green MP Siân Berry said:

“This is yet another assault on our rights from an increasingly authoritarian government. This proposal would scrap a fundamental cornerstone of our justice system which has been in place for 800 years. 

“For David Lammy to describe the right to trial by jury as ‘not a right’ is a disgrace. The Government must fund our justice system properly – not make people pay for Labour and Conservative austerity with their fundamental rights. The Green Party will fight these proposals all the way.”

Responding to news that the government is backing Heathrow’s £49 billion proposal that will require the M25 to be moved, Green MP Siân Berry said:  

“This Government is so pathetically in the pocket of Heathrow bosses and the most wealthy frequent flyers, that it will support this ridiculous and costly plan for expansion, despite the miserable disruption it will cause to everyone else’s daily lives.

“These plans will trash our vital climate targets, and meanwhile cause misery on the roads, all for the benefit of the very richest people.

“This Labour Government must fix its twisted priorities, ditch the aviation obsession, and invest its effort instead in a real green future with high-paid green jobs, warmer homes, and cheaper bills.”

Reacting to the final COP30 deal in Belém, Brazil, which made do direct reference to the fossil fuels responsible for creating the climate crisis, Green MP Ellie Chowns, said:

“Today’s deal falls way short of what this moment demands – morally, economically, environmentally and scientifically.

“Burning the fossil fuels to which we already have access will result in breaching the 1.5 degrees of warming limit in the Paris Agreement so it’s deeply shocking that world leaders have squandered this critical opportunity to end the fossil fuel era.

“Banning vested interests from the COP process is long overdue and there cannot be another round of climate talks where they’re allowed to exert so much power and influence. And when tasked with delivering on a climate finance deal that’s fit for purpose for those countries that have done least to cause the climate crisis, the richest governments have shown scandalous neglect for their responsibilities, with no new money on the table for adaptation for example.

“The UK’s claims to climate leadership lay in tatters – from Labour’s refusal to finance global forest protection to reports that they’ve been actively blocking ambitious progress on a just transition. The public remains strongly behind bold and hopeful climate action – they need to be heard. And young people, global majorities, indigenous peoples and others at the front line of this crisis need to be front and centre in order to get a liveable future back on track.”