The Green Party has said Labour’s inadequate funding of SEND and dither over tackling a social care crisis is what is leading so many councils to bankruptcy [1].  

The Party’s co-leader, Adrian Ramsay MP, said: 

“We need the government to act urgently on the social care crisis. Instead, Labour has kicked the problem into the long grass, again. The Royal Commission on social care, ordered by the government some months ago, is not due to report until 2028.  

“There have been around 25 social care commissions, select committee inquiries and white papers since 1997 [2]. We don’t need more dither; we need action. Instead of another Commission, Labour needs to get on with the proposal for cross-party talks on how best to fund social care, but they keep postponing. Meanwhile, people across Britain continue to suffer and local councils are left to pick up the bill for the care sector’s funding crisis.  

“As for SEND, the Spending Review has failed to address deficits racked up by councils or the fact that many children are not getting the access to special educational needs support they need. The IFS says that any extra money pledged for schools will almost entirely be wiped out tackling the growing demand for special educational needs [3].”  

“Even with five percent increases to Council tax, many Councils are still effectively looking at bankruptcy [4]. Until the government gets a grip on social care and SEND – the main reasons why councils are going bust – we won’t see any improvement in this desperate situation.” 

Notes

1. https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/councils-emergency-funds-tax-hikes-3752666  

2. https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/briefings/social-care-commissions-looking-back-to-move-forward  

3. https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Spending_Review_analysis_impacts_for_public_services_MW.pdf Slide 6 

4. https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/06/12/4bn-a-year-more-available-for-adult-social-care-by-2028-29-in-spending-review/  

The Green Party has called on the UK government to press for de-escalation, push for an immediate ceasefire and hold all parties to the same international standards, in response to the escalating situation in the Middle East.

Co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay MP, said:

“The escalating crisis between Israel and Iran is gravely concerning, not just for regional stability, but for the safety of civilians – there have already been hundreds of casualties. Calls for the total evacuation of central Tehran are deeply alarming indicating people’s homes and hospitals and children’s schools are at risk of attack, not just military targets.

“We are witnessing a pattern of Israel acting with impunity. In Gaza, military objectives have become indistinguishable from the mass suffering of civilians with little or no critique, let alone sanctions from the international community. And now, we are seeing a similar playbook with Israel appearing to pursue regime change in Iran through unilateral military action, without any international mandate or clear justification.

“The UK government must urgently press for de-escalation, push for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, and hold all parties to the same international standards – holding to account Israel for its aggressive unilateral actions and Iran for its well-documented human rights violations.

“Furthermore, Donald Trump’s warmongering rhetoric is fanning the flames of this conflict. The UK must stand firmly against such a gung-ho approach to military intervention and call on the US to instead prioritise genuine diplomatic engagement and humanitarian relief.”

Responding to the bombing of Iran by Israel overnight, Green Party MP, Ellie Chowns, said: 

“The targeted assassinations and widespread bombing of Iran by Israel represent a deeply alarming escalation. 

“These actions confirm that Israel is a rogue state operating outside international law. Israel can no longer continue to enjoy the diplomatic and trade privileges they have as part of the international community.

“The UK must now urgently clarify whether it knew about these attacks in advance, urgently summon the Israeli ambassador to express the UK’s deep concern about Israel’s military actions and state unequivocally that it will cease military support for Israel, including arms sales and the training of Israeli military personnel. 

She continued, “Iran’s nuclear brinkmanship is a threat to peace in the wider region and cannot be tolerated. Now more than ever, we need cool heads in a multilateral diplomatic process to look to address Iran’s growing nuclear threat. The unilateral bombing of Iran by Israel does nothing to make us safer and risks full-scale war.”

Responding to the Spending Review, Green Party Co-Leader, Adrian Ramsay MP, said,

“Today’s Spending Review shows we have a chancellor who seems to know the price of everything and the value of nothing. While today Reeves may have balanced her spreadsheet, it is done on the backs of some of the worst off in our society. The proof is in how many will still be feeling worse off as the cost-of-living crisis bites hard.

People want to feel pride in Britain again, and for this, they need real hope. Hope only comes from seeing how things will improve through real investment in the everyday services we all rely on.

Despite the rhetoric in the chamber, it is clear that this Spending Review represents a squeeze in many frontline budgets. With education, for example, where many schools are already being forced to make difficult budget cuts, core school budgets are set to rise by just 0.6%. It is hard to see this money ever reaching our teachers and children in the classroom. Equally, I am horrified to see real-term cuts to Defra funding, just as the impact of climate change is starting to affect our communities. Now is the time to invest in climate resilience and preparedness.”

He continued, “These ‘tough decisions’ are actually ‘Labour’s political choices’. They are choosing to leave the economy tilted towards those with considerable wealth. Our front-line services continue to deteriorate through a political choice of decline by design. By introducing a wealth tax on the super-rich, we could instead properly invest in our children’s future. We could give them the education they deserve and start now to invest in the climate resilience and preparedness they will need throughout their lives as the climate crisis unfolds.”

Responding to news that EDF will build a new nuclear power plant at Sizewell at an estimated cost of over £14bn, co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay MP, said: 

 “Nuclear power is hugely expensive and far too slow to come on line. The only thing delivered by EDF so far at Hinkley Point in Somerset is overspend and delay. Electricity was promised by 2017 with a price tag of £22bn but this has mushroomed to 40bn and Hinkley is still producing no power.  

“The money being spent on this nuclear gamble would be far better spent on insulating and retrofitting millions of homes, bringing down energy bills and keeping people warmer and more comfortable. We should also be investing in genuinely green power such as fitting millions of solar panels to roofs and in innovative technologies like tidal power. All this would create many more jobs than nuclear ever will.”