Following the tragic death of four more people in the channel, Green Party Migration and Refugee Spokesperson, Benali Hamdache, said:

“The loss of life is a tragedy and acts as stark reminder why we need safe and legal routes for those seeking asylum.

“Today The Green Party is reiterating our call to reinstate the Dubs refugee scheme that allowed unaccompanied child refugees with family connections to the UK to settle here.

“This is absolutely the first step that Labour could take. In 2017 Yvette Cooper described the closure of the Dubs scheme as “shameful” and we agree it was. And so today we call on her to take immediate action to reinstate this scheme at the earliest possible opportunity.”

In the wake of unfounded reports that Ed Miliband will announce a ban on new drilling in the North Sea [1], co-leader and MP for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer, has urged the energy secretary to do just that, and “send a clear signal to the fossil fuel industry that they have no future in the UK.” Denyer said:  

“It didn’t take long for the right wing press to come out waving the banner for the fossil fuel industry together with the usual round of scare stories about a dent to the economy and tax revenues if we don’t continue to burn oil and gas. Those cheerleading for oil and gas corporations must not be allowed to derail us from the path towards a green transition. That is where our future prosperity and thousands of good new jobs lies. We need to seize the opportunities that greening the economy will bring. 

“This is a test to see how brave and bold Labour will be and whether they will send a clear signal to the fossil fuel industry that they have no future in the UK. Ed Miliband certainly should ban all future licences for new North Sea oil and gas fields, and do so immediately.  

“The Green Party would like to see him go further by revoking the licence for Rosebank which has the potential for producing around 500 million climate-wrecking barrels of oil. We would also like to see a carbon tax on polluters to help drive the transition to cleaner and cheaper renewable sources of energy.” 

Responding to the publication of OFWAT’s a draft verdict on water companies’ five-year spending plans and bill increases to 2030, Green Party MP, Sian Berry said:  

“We’re today calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to put all water companies into public hands.   

“The provision of such a basic human right should not be based on profit.   

“The idea that water companies will hike bills while so many people are struggling to get to the end of the month is horrific. Meanwhile, some companies, like Thames Water, are still paying shareholder dividends, which is deplorable.   

“Public ownership is a matter of both social and environmental principle. But, as today’s verdict from OFWAT shows, it is also a pragmatic necessity.   

“Why not take decisive action and show real leadership by saying that all water companies should be in public hands?  

“Once this is done, government can invest affordably in the creaking infrastructure without all the harm falling onto our bills, and into our rivers and oceans that are currently being treated as open sewers.”