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Rebecca Long-Bailey's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Rebecca Long-Bailey

• 1 Dec 2025: Parliamentary Speech

  The same forward-thinking approach is needed on energy policy. Removing green levies from bills will bring welcome relief, but families still face high costs, while energy giants have made more than £125 billion in profits since 2020. The Government have an opportunity to ensure that the energy system works for the public good, and to consider windfall taxes, fair pricing and even forms of public ownership. A resilient, affordable green energy system would strengthen the whole economy.

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions

• 01 Sep 2025: Tweet

  Population growth, more high-rises, and climate change mean demand on our fire service has increased but resources have been cut. Firefighters in Salford told me they faced 19 high-rise alarms in a single Saturday night.???? [Source]

• 25 Oct 2024: Tweet

  Great to see saplings taking root and to talk about the brilliant work they do by creating better, greener places which boosts our health and wellbeing and helps tackle the climate emergency. Give them a follow and find out how you can get involved. (2/2) https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1849808570318991505/photo/1 [Source]

• 26 Apr 2024: Tweet

  Today I stood with councillors, workers, @salford_mayor & reps from across the Trade Union movement for International Workers Memorial Day, to honour the many lives lost in the workplace. From Covid to the climate crisis, we must ensure all workers are safe when going work #IWMD https://twitter.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1783883439420105079/photo/1 [Source]

• 13 Nov 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  What was actually in the King’s Speech? Well, the big flagship policy seems to be the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which completely undermines the Government’s so-called commitment to net zero. Staggeringly, even the Government admit that the Bill will do nothing to bring down household bills.

  Full debate: Building an NHS Fit for the Future

• 06 Nov 2023: Tweet

  RT @ClimateAPPG: ????NEW: To ensure success at #COP28 the @ClimateAPPG has recommended that @RishiSunak : ????????Appoints a UK climate envoy ????Ph… [Source]

• 30 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @M_Star_Online: The Prime Minster’s net zero U-turn makes no long-term economic sense and will leave working people and the poorest in o… [Source]

• 19 Jul 2023: Tweet

  Last week I visited the fantastic pupils and teachers of St Luke’s Primary in Weaste. The children were so bright and articulate, grilling me on everything from the cost of living crisis, to climate change. Salford’s future is looking very bright. https://twitter.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1681596451795632128/photo/1 [Source]

• 27 Feb 2023: Tweet

  2/2 East Africa is facing its worst drought in over 40 yrs caused by climate change, conflict and the cost of living crisis. People are living on the brink of famine and failure to act now is costing lives. The international community must act now to prevent mass starvation. [Source]

• 24 Jan 2023: Tweet

  RT @NadiaWhittomeMP: Today my Climate Education Bill returns to Parliament. The climate emergency will affect every aspect of our society.… [Source]

• 19 Oct 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  With all this in mind, why on earth would the Government pursue a strategy that poses such risks and flies in the face of efforts to tackle climate change? Well, the author and climate commentator Naomi Klein calls it

  Full debate: Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill

• 19 Oct 2022: Vote

  Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 07 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @EnvironmentAPPG: Members of the @EnvironmentAPPG are asking @10DowningStreet @trussliz to: ????Recommit the UK to net zero by 2050 ????Expa… [Source]

• 22 Apr 2022: Tweet

  RT @SalfordCouncil: It’s #EarthDay2022 and we can all do our bit to combat the threat of climate change by recycling more, adding more plan… [Source]

• 10 Mar 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: For energy security, to get bills down, and tackle the climate crisis it is time for a green energy sprint. We need go fu… [Source]

• 28 Jan 2022: Tweet

  RT @EnvironmentAPPG: Great that climate education is receiving more attention in Parliament - we won't reach net zero without it. Well do… [Source]

• 12 Jan 2022: Tweet

  Businesses want to address the climate crisis & improve our air quality, but Gov must assist GMCA by allowing a delay to the scheme, and deliver a financial package that supports businesses and protects the residents of GM from bearing the crippling costs of this Gov scheme. [Source]

• 11 Jan 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  The bigger issue is the business model of the energy sector as a whole. For years since privatisation, the monopoly grid companies prioritised dividend extraction over upgrading the system for renewable energy. The generators did not really start investing in renewables until public money was put on the table, and the supply market is in complete disarray. Many smaller suppliers are now folding, creating even less competition and leaving huge market shares for the bigger players. In response to that collapse, we see the Government setting aside billions in public funds to prop up firms that are too big to fail, but with that public money comes no change in the broken energy market, no reduction in household bills and none of the benefits of public ownership.

  Full debate: Household Energy Bills: VAT

• 13 Dec 2021: Vote

  Subsidy Control Bill — Schedule 1 - The subsidy control principles - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 02 Dec 2021: Tweet

  RT @salford_mayor: Interviewed today by @BBCNWT about Eden. It is a 115,000 square foot, net zero carbon office development over 12 storeys… [Source]

• 30 Nov 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  “Climate change is a message, one that is telling us that many of our culture’s most cherished ideas are no longer viable.”

  Full debate: Climate Goals: Wellbeing Economy

• 15 Nov 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  The good news, however, is that bringing water into public ownership would pay for itself within about seven years. After that, it would save the public purse £2.5 billion a year. That money could be invested in infrastructure to stop sewage pouring into our rivers, lakes and seas, as well as to reduce leaks to save water and cut bills. The new public water companies could be democratically controlled, transparent and given a duty of care to take care of our environment, to clean up our rivers and seas, and to do everything they can to tackle the climate crisis. There is no excuse not to do this.

  Full debate: Water Companies: Sewage Discharge

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @labourlewis: Today @BorisJohnson will speak again at #COP26. Here’s why you can’t trust a word he says. https://t.co/jG9nUDHOo1 [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @We_OwnIt: Our railway needs to work for people and planet, not profit ???? Bring it into public ownership now! #TransportDay #COP26 htt… [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Public transport is central to fighting climate change, yet 1000s of transport worker jobs are under threat. On transport day at COP26, I support @RMTunion’s calls for the Govt to ‘Cut carbon emissions not public transport jobs’. Read RMT’s new briefing at https://bit.ly/2XxFeQ5 [Source]

• 29 Oct 2021: Tweet

  The next generation will be the ones who bear the brutal costs of inaction on climate change. As #COP26 host the Govt has a moral duty to secure their future, starting with a review of the national curriculum, to ensure climate change and sustainability is embedded in it. https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1454075493620277253/video/1 [Source]

• 28 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @EnvironmentAPPG: #COP26Countdown ⌛️ 3⃣days until @COP26 ????COP is a time for reckoning. The @IPCC_CH are clear, we need a code red resp… [Source]

• 27 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  I am sure all hon. Members here today are aware that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report argues that we need a code red response to a code red emergency. That response should be reflected not only in our approach to decarbonising industry, energy use and developing a sustainable economy, but in our approach to climate change and sustainability, and the skills needed for the new future we deserve must be embedded in our education system. Sadly, however, the report card on climate education that Education International has just produced, based on its analysis of 73 updated nationally determined contributions presented for COP26, has found that no country is doing enough to meet the criteria, and the UK comes in 42nd out of 73.

  As the country leading COP26—the most pivotal and important conference of the parties so far—that is not good enough, especially when the UK is still off track on meeting many of its carbon targets and the amount of investment pledged to decarbonise our economy so far is pitiful in comparison to many other industrial nations. Sadly, only last week the Government were mired in controversy after opposing an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have restricted the pumping of raw sewage into our water systems. That does not give the impression of a Government that are serious about tackling the climate and ecological emergency. However, we have cross-party consensus today, and the Minister can do his part in changing that perception.

  As the Minister may know, education unions wrote to the Education Secretary last week and requested that he make four key announcements before the COP. First, they called for a comprehensive review of the entire curriculum, so that it is preparing and mobilising our whole system for a sustainable future. Secondly, as an interim measure, the Government should support the private Member’s Bill of Lord Knight of Weymouth, which would restore sustainability as a pillar of the curriculum. Thirdly, they called for a comprehensive plan to decarbonise the entire school estate by 2030 as part of an overdue refurbishment and repair programme. Finally, a detailed policy on green travel for students, staff and parents should be developed.

  As the Minister knows, it is the next generation who will bear the brutal costs of inaction on climate change. We have a moral duty to secure their future and, as a nation, to lead the world at COP26. I am sure that the Minister agrees, and I hope he will implement the requests I have set out as a matter of urgency.

  Full debate: Sustainability and Climate Change (National Curriculum)

• 27 Oct 2021: Tweet

  13/13 Nothing on climate change!!!! the week before COP26!! Current NetZeroStrategy needed bulking up today. Its already reported that it will not get the UK close to its net zero goal by 2050, and that without the funds might fail to meet even its current limited ambition. [Source]

• 14 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @labourassembly: System Change Not Climate Change - A #GreenNewDeal for People & Planet - w/ @RLong_Bailey | @jeremycorbyn | Scarlett W… [Source]

• 08 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @LabourEccles: Our very own @MikeMcCusker15 showing what we’ve achieved since declaring a Climate Emergency in Salford https://t.co/dHC2… [Source]

• 06 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @labourassembly: System Change, Not Climate Change ✊???????? With... @zarahsultana // @RLong_Bailey // @graceblakeley // @ScarlettOWest, @_T… [Source]

• 16 Sep 2021: Tweet

  Tackling climate change cannot wait! I truly hope this decision not to allow @LabGND motion at conference is urgently overturned. https://twitter.com/LabGND/status/1438521004070891531 [Source]

• 16 Sep 2021: Tweet

  RT @PositiveMoneyUK: ????BREAKING???? Over 50 MPs and peers have asked the @BankofEngland governor to align finance with our climate goals. Has… [Source]

• 20 Aug 2021: Tweet

  RT @labourassembly: MAJOR EVENT: System Change Not Climate Change - A #GreenNewDeal for People & Planet ????️ Oct14 18.30 @RLong_Bailey @gra… [Source]

• 09 Aug 2021: Tweet

  "Unless there are immediate, strong, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting global warming to 1.5C will be beyond reach" We are beyond the era of warm fluffy pledges,we need action and immediate implementation of a green new deal in every country. https://twitter.com/IPCC_CH/status/1424647550871670788 [Source]

• 07 Jun 2021: Vote

  Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill — New Clause 1 - Human Rights Abuses - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 26 May 2021: Vote

  Environment Bill — New Clause 24 - Prohibition on burning of peat in upland areas - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 17 May 2021: Tweet

  RT @Glasgow_LGND: Delighted that we'll be joined by @RLong_Bailey for our COP26 event this Tuesday evening. Sign up here: https://t.co/duhq… [Source]

• 19 Apr 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Do these buoyant companies really need a super deduction? The answer is no. In the absence of any clear conditions specifying the use of such savings or providing a wider social benefit, such as increasing salaries for workers, investing in decarbonisation or reducing costs for end consumers, I struggle to see the benefits being passed on to anyone other than shareholders.

  Full debate: Finance (No. 2) Bill

• 31 Mar 2021: Tweet

  RT @SalfordLabour: Recognition from Friends of the Earth of the work Salford Labour Council are putting into renewable energy sources, sust… [Source]

• 19 Mar 2021: Tweet

  RT @_OliviaBlake: Last week @AlokSharma_RDG set out his 4 key aims for the UN #COP26 #climate summit later this year. So @RLong_Bailey @Na… [Source]

• 4 Mar 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Finally, on climate change, there was gross betrayal. I must admit that I was intrigued when the Government stole our green industrial revolution tagline, and I secretly hoped that they would adopt Labour’s programme too. It would have been to all of our benefits, with 1.9% invested each year in energy and homes alone, which would have provided over £800 billion across the UK by 2030, and 850,000 new jobs. That would have been a true green recovery, but so far in comparison we have seen pitiful levels of investment. Yesterday, we saw a paltry £12 billion for a new green infrastructure bank, the green recovery bonds, shiny retail savings products, and some distant report into carbon offsetting, all amounting to very little.

  If the Government were serious about tackling climate change, they would grab the opportunity to reverse decades of de-industrialisation with a bold green regional investment strategy. Instead, they have betrayed us in the fight against climate change, betrayed our recovery and betrayed our financial security.

  Full debate: Income Tax (Charge)

• 04 Mar 2021: Tweet

  Yesterday’s budget betrayed Salford. It betrayed our key workers, our fight against climate change, our recovery, and our financial security. https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1367537580758208520/video/1 [Source]

• 03 Mar 2021: Tweet

  #Budget – is this a joke? Facing the existential threat of climate change and we see so little. eg. A paltry 12bn Investment Bank, shiny retail savings products and a distant report into carbon offsetting in the City of London? A Green Industrial Revolution this is not. [Source]

• 26 Jan 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Despite the infectious enthusiasm of the Minister, I have to say that, sadly, the deficiencies of the Bill bolster my scepticism about the Prime Minister’s supposedly Damascene conversion to eco-warrior from someone who, in only 2015, claimed that the science surrounding warming temperatures was “without foundation”. But if his Government want to prove me wrong, they certainly have the chance to do so today. First, they could support new clause 9, which would provide that anyone with duties under the Bill must comply with an environmental objective to achieve and maintain biodiversity, support for human health and wellbeing, and sustainable use of resources. The new clause includes specified environmental commitments that have been made by the Government including in the UN Leaders’ Pledge for Nature of September 2020 and under the Climate Change Act 2008.

  Full debate: Environment Bill

• 13 Jan 2021: Vote

  Financial Services Bill — Schedule 2 - Prudential regulation of FCA investment firms - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 14 Dec 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  The European Commission is mobilising €1 trillion, and President-elect Biden will mobilise $2 trillion, but the UK saw only £12 billion for its green industrial revolution. Issuing yet more consultations, scant detail, repackaged announcements and bluster today about unleashing competition is simply not enough to tackle the climate emergency and fuel poverty. With the energy White Paper still leaving a huge gap of 101 million tonnes between meeting our 2032 carbon target, what is the Secretary of State going to do to close that gap?

  Full debate: Energy White Paper

• 16 Nov 2020: Vote

  Pension Schemes Bill [Lords] — Clause 124 - Climate change risk - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 11 Nov 2020: Tweet

  RT @jacobinmag: Labour Party MP Rebecca Long-Bailey argues that while the COVID-19 pandemic, a deep recession, and a worsening climate cris… [Source]

• 12 Oct 2020: Vote

  Agriculture Bill — After Clause 42 - Contribution of agriculture and associated land use to climate change targets - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No

• 29 Sep 2020: Vote

  United Kingdom Internal Market Bill — New Clause 6 - Economic development: climate and nature emergency impact statement - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 17 Sep 2020: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: We urgently need greater climate leadership from government. It's time to match the rhetoric with action. We're calling on… [Source]

• 01 Sep 2020: Tweet

  I support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill @CEEbill_NOW The climate emergency needs an emergency response. It is also our chance to lead an industrial revolution that distributes costs and rewards progressively, deepens economic democracy, and rebuilds Britain #CEEbill https://twitter.com/zerohour_uk/status/1298913436743630850 [Source]

• 19 Aug 2020: Tweet

  Greta Thunberg: After two years of school strikes, the world is still in a state of climate crisis denial https://t.co/Eu5UjHkbZl [Source]

• 12 Mar 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  We live in precarious times. The three crises we face, coronavirus, the social emergency and the climate emergency, demanded a brave Budget—a bold Budget—to tackle them head-on. It was welcome to see action to help businesses encountering cash-flow problems, zero rates for businesses that qualify for the retail discount, the loans available for those affected by the virus and the 14-day statutory sick pay rebate for small firms. Those measures will help, but there remain gaping holes in the Government’s response to the virus. Statutory sick pay is £94 a week, which is not enough for many people to live on and pay the bills. People who fall ill will be forced to choose between hardship on the one hand and risking their health and those of their colleagues on the other. What of those not eligible to receive sick pay—the insecure workers created by a decade of Tory rule? For them, the choice is even starker. While extra funding for the NHS is welcome, we cannot overturn a decade of cuts and capacity shortages overnight with a quick cash injection.

  Turning to the emergency that will define our generation and those to come, the climate emergency, I would like to list those things on which this Budget was silent. On solar power, wind power and tidal power, there was nothing. On the Tory manifesto pledge to support hydrogen production—nothing. On the Tory manifesto pledge to spend £9.2 billion on energy efficiency and cut household bills—nothing. On the Tory manifesto pledge to support a gigafactory for electric vehicle batteries—nothing. On reducing emissions from agriculture—nothing. On making public transport more affordable—nothing. And on measures to support workers and communities to transition away from carbon-intensive industries—nothing.

  Then there is a commitment to consult on measures to support renewable heat. There is a commitment to consult on green gas. There is a commitment to publish a review—sorry, two reviews—on the cost and benefits of reaching net zero. I do not think I am alone in this House in saying that consultations and reviews are not quite what we had in mind when we declared a climate and environment emergency last year.

  Public calls for a climate Budget have never been louder, but what does that mean in practice? There are three key tests. First, is the Budget adequate? Does it take its lead from science rather than political expediency, cutting emissions at the rate necessary to avoid dangerous heating? Secondly, is the Budget aspirational? Will it create hundreds of thousands of good green jobs, positioning the UK as a world leader in the green industrial revolution, bringing huge wealth to all regions and nations? Finally, is the Budget fair? Does it spread the costs of dealing with the climate emergency in a way that is progressive and just, at home and internationally?

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions

• 11 Mar 2020: Tweet

  RT @labourpress: “By ducking the bold measures needed to tackle the climate emergency, the Chancellor has blown the biggest opportunity for… [Source]

• 11 Mar 2020: Tweet

  The Chancellor says people in this country voted for change, but nobody voted for catastrophic climate change. #Budget2020 [Source]

• 11 Mar 2020: Tweet

  By ducking the bold measures needed to tackle the climate emergency, the Chancellor has blown the biggest opportunity for national renewal since the post-war era, betraying current and future generations. #Budget2020 [Source]

• 09 Mar 2020: Tweet

  RT @zarahsultana: To combat the climate crisis and rebuild our country, only bold socialist politics will do. That's why I'm backing @RLon… [Source]

• 09 Mar 2020: Tweet

  On Wednesday we need a climate crisis budget that is adequate, aspirational and fair. Anything less would be a betrayal of current and future generations. Me for @IndyVoices http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/budget-climate-crisis-rebecca-long-bailey-labour-a9388221.html [Source]

• 08 Mar 2020: Tweet

  Women across the world are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. We need a Green Industrial Revolution both here and internationally to achieve net zero carbon emissions and tackle gender inequality. I've got the plan to deliver it. #InternationalWomensDay https://twitter.com/careintuk/status/1236223378245251072 [Source]

• 05 Mar 2020: Tweet

  Whether it's the climate crisis or safer roads, school children are showing why they're the activists of the future https://t.co/Ff6jiU3TG6 [Source]

• 28 Feb 2020: Tweet

  I met Jeremy Corbyn to discuss how the Green Industrial Revolution will tackle climate change and transform our economy. https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1233285705863958528/video/1 [Source]

• 25 Feb 2020: Tweet

  RT @fbunational: For firefighters responding to flooding and wildfires, the #ClimateEmergency is an industrial issue Only @RLong_Bailey ca… [Source]

• 15 Feb 2020: Tweet

  As Labour leader I’ll build a movement to tackle the climate crisis https://t.co/pW6y3niUXu [Source]

• 03 Feb 2020: Tweet

  The Govt's plans for the climate conference this year are in total disarray. This is too important to fail. If necessary Labour will work around the Gov't, with international allies, the climate movement and trade unions, to get the deal our planet needs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51357200 [Source]

• 15 Jan 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I agree with much of what the Secretary of State said in her speech, but that ambition needs to be matched with sufficient action. I hope she takes the comments that I am about to make in the spirit in which they are intended, so we can work across the House and reach a solution to the climate emergency.

  I pay tribute to my colleagues Danielle Rowley, Laura Pidcock and Sue Hayman, who were sadly unable to take their place after the general election. Each one of them has been a champion, fighting against the climate emergency, and their policy work will leave a mark on this House for years to come. I welcome my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) to his new role on the shadow DEFRA team. I am sure he will also leave his mark in the years to come.

  Climate change and environmental breakdown present an existential threat to our society. I doubt that there is a single Member of this House who would disagree with me. Seeing off that threat by investing in new industries and technologies, and the restoration of our natural world, has the potential to bring jobs, new wealth and new pride to all the regions and nations of the UK. Again, I doubt there is a single Member of the House who does not want to see that.

  So we start from a position of agreement on the green industrial revolution, which, in a nutshell, is about achieving just that. But to make it happen, rather than just talking about it, three qualities are required that are lacking in the Queen’s Speech: honesty, ambition and fairness. We need to be honest with ourselves and with the electorate about what the science says is necessary to avoid planetary catastrophe; we need to be ambitious, deploying our resources and testing our inventiveness at a pace and scale that is commensurate with the challenge; and we need to be fair, tackling climate change in a way that is socially just, that leaves nobody behind, and that meets and exceeds the expectations that people have for their lives and their communities.

  I turn to the first quality—honesty. The Queen’s Speech references the Government’s commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is the world’s leading scientific body on the subject, says that the entire world needs to reach net zero by 2050 to avoid more than 1.5° C of warming. Given the UK’s historical responsibility for climate change, and our wealth and resources to do something about it, we clearly need to be ahead of the curve on this, and we need to be honest that 2050 is not good enough—not if we are serious about keeping our people safe. I urge the Government to revisit this target.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  My hon. Friend is spot on. We have an opportunity now to show on the world stage that we really mean business when it comes to tackling climate change. We need to lead the world, and not just in terms of the industries we support in the UK. We need to lead by example and encourage other countries across the world to take as robust action as I hope we will do over the coming years.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  We need to be honest that we are off track when it comes to meeting our targets, inadequate as they are. In fact, according to the Committee on Climate Change—the Government’s official advisers—the UK is even off track with regard to meeting its old target of an 80% reduction by 2050. The UK’s CO 2 emissions fell by only 2% between 2017 and 2018. Politics aside, that is nowhere near good enough. Let us be honest about what it means. It is not like failing an exam or a driving test. Failing on climate change means devastating fires sweeping across Australia and the Amazon. It means critical threats to food security, water security and the entire ecosystem, on which we all depend.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  My hon. Friend is quite right. It is devastating to see the impact of what has happened in her constituency. We need to tackle the climate emergency, and we need a robust industrial strategy to sit alongside it. This is the biggest economic opportunity that the country has had in a generation. By tackling a huge societal and environmental need, we can support our industries and create the new green jobs of the future. Unfortunately, although we talk about targets, and about providing help here and there, we are not backing it up with a comprehensive industrial strategy that supports our industries. What was lacking in the general election campaign—although certainly not from the Labour party—was support for the steel sector, with a robust strategy ensuring that the steel industry plays a key role in our infrastructure projects and the technologies of the future. That is what I would like to see from this Government.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comment. Certainly, there is no point in having a target without having an ambitious plan to deliver it. We know from the work of leading scientists across the world that the majority of the work that needs to be done even to reach net zero by 2050 must be done by 2030. That is an inescapable fact and that is why we have to move so quickly.

  The Government have started to work towards insulating social homes. That is welcome, but it is not enough. We need to look at how we can support the UK’s 27 million homes to take part in a home insulation programme that will not only tackle climate change but help to bring down bills. We had an ambitious package for that but unfortunately we did not deliver that message strongly enough in our election campaign.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  My hon. Friend is quite right. We are expected to encourage our localities and our regional governments to take part in the climate emergency and to do their best to deliver plans on a local scale, but they are not being given sufficient resources to be able to do so. That is not acceptable, because this is a national crisis and a local crisis. That goes right to the heart of the point about public transport. We need to make sure that all the workers involved in transport are given the opportunity to deliver transport that is eco-friendly, but they are not, particularly taxi drivers. Taxi drivers, in many cases, cannot afford to transition to electric vehicles as rapidly as we need them to, and we must provide the support that is necessary for them to be able to achieve that.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s points, but we need to move beyond discussions regarding climate change denial and recognise the scale of the task ahead of ahead of us, because the science is clear. We are facing a climate emergency, and if we do not take robust action and lead the world, we will not have a world left—it is as simple as that.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  With reference to civil society groups like Extinction Rebellion who have been urging those in power to tell the truth about climate change, I was alarmed by reports that the Government’s response was to defend the recommendation to list them alongside neo-Nazi terrorists. That is an absolute disgrace. I urge the Secretary of State to speak to her colleagues about this. It is absolutely absurd that our school strikers and our climate activists who were trying to fight to be heard here in Westminster are being listed alongside terrorist organisations when they are simply trying to save the planet and deliver a world for their future and that of their children and grandchildren.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments because he is quite right. As I said earlier, we cannot keep having discussions about whether climate change is real. It is real, and we cannot detach ourselves from the situation in thinking that it is something that happens to other countries across the world and it is not going to affect us. It is already affecting us, and even if it does affect other countries across the world we will need to help the people in those countries. We also need to recognise that for a country like ours that is so reliant on imported food, any disruption to any part of the world disrupts our quality of life here. That is why it is so important for us to protect the people here in the UK by making sure that we lead across the world on this. I am sure that we have collaborative agreement across the House on that point.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

  Let me move on to the second quality that is required—ambition. The purpose of the Queen’s Speech should be to look forward—to set out the Government’s future plans—but most of the climate section looks backwards, sadly, to the Government’s record over the past 12 months, and even this is confusing to many. There is reference to £400 million of funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, but this was first announced in the 2017 Budget. The Queen’s Speech also references an industrial energy transformation fund, but this was announced in the 2018 Budget. We were told that 53% of electricity now comes from low-carbon sources, and that sounds good, but is it really ambitious enough? As any energy expert will tell you, electricity is the easy part. Only 11% of the UK’s total end energy consumption, including heat and transport, comes from renewable sources. Only 7% of the UK’s heat demand is met by renewable sources. As Labour set out at the general election, to get on track to a net-zero energy system, we need low-carbon electricity at levels of above 90% within a decade.

  The Government reference their doubling of international climate finance, and this sounds good until you realise that this money is not new or additional and that the Government are effectively raiding the aid budget to pay for it. The Government want to ensure that everybody is within 30 miles of an electric charging point, but that does not sound particularly ambitious to me, to be honest. Nor does the commitment to end the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries when 60% of our plastic waste exports are actually shipped to OECD countries. Should not the Government be asking why we are producing all that pointless plastic in the first place and cut it off at source rather than dumping the problem overseas?

  There are of course welcome features in the Queen’s Speech, such as the commitment to invest £800 million to develop the UK’s first carbon capture and storage cluster by the mid-2020s. But I remember the time in 2010 when the coalition made a £1 billion commitment to CCS before scrapping it again in 2015. Can the Secretary of State assure us that the UK’s carbon-intensive industries will not suffer the same fate as when the last promise was made? Why is it that as the climate crisis worsens the Government appear to be treading water and going backwards? Tackling the climate and environmental emergency and capturing the massive opportunities of the green economy require ambition. We needed to see an emergency plan for the first 100 days of Government—a plan for every year of this Parliament and a plan for the decade ahead. Sadly, the Queen’s Speech does not come close to this.

  I now turn to the third and final quality—fairness. Rapid decarbonisation across our economy requires fundamental changes in the way we work and the way we live. Done badly, this presents big risks to people’s livelihoods. Only by socialising the costs and the benefits of decarbonisation will we be able to take the public with us through this change, but the Queen’s Speech does not set out a plan to do that.

  To give an example, fossil fuel workers have powered the country for decades. We need a clear and properly funded plan for what will happen to those workers and their communities as we move to a renewable energy system. We tried to set out proposals at the election for a just transition fund. The absence of a plan for a just transition in the Queen’s Speech is a major omission, and I urge the Government to do better and start listening to and working with trade unions on this as quickly as possible.

  It was more than 30 years ago that NASA scientist James Hansen presented his findings on climate change to the US Senate. Nobody could reasonably argue that we have done enough since then, and now we are running out of time. We cannot afford another lost five years. I urge the Government to work with us and Members across the House to correct the obvious shortcomings of the Queen’s Speech and their agenda, and to develop a package of measures that can secure the future all of us deserve. There is still time, but it is running out.

  Full debate: A Green Industrial Revolution

• 12 Jan 2020: Tweet

  Labour brought our movement & trade unions together for a radical decarbonisation plan: a Green Industrial Revolution that would’ve created jobs & improved our lives. If the Tories cared for future generations they’d act now & reverse their appalling record on climate change. https://twitter.com/Independent/status/1216456380703481856 [Source]

• 06 Jan 2020: Tweet

  With the climate crisis spiralling and the far-right on the march, we must regroup urgently for the struggles ahead. Our task is to build a winning vision of a socialist future. https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/01/rebecca-long-bailey-labour-leadership-socialism [Source]

• 30 Dec 2019: Tweet

  RT @RLong_Bailey: Tackling the climate crisis must be central to our party’s plans. A Green Industrial Revolution - through investment in… [Source]

• 30 Dec 2019: Tweet

  Tackling the climate crisis must be central to our party’s plans. A Green Industrial Revolution - through investment in good, unionised jobs and sparking the re-industrialisation of our regions and nations - can meet the challenge of our time. [Source]

• 11 Dec 2019: Tweet

  RT @AndyMcDonaldMP: Danielle Rowley is one of the best and most important voices on the climate crisis in parliament. She is needed to adre… [Source]

• 09 Dec 2019: Tweet

  A Labour victory this Thursday would put the climate crisis and a Green Industrial Revolution at the top of the agenda. The ripple effect would be huge - kick starting bold action on climate change across the world. A vote for Labour is a vote for our future. [Source]

• 08 Dec 2019: Tweet

  If you live in the South West and you want to see proper action to tackle the climate emergency, vote Labour for massive local investments in solar power, tidal stream, offshore wind, forests, rail, electric vehicles, recycling and warm homes for all. https://digital-campaigns-api.herokuapp.com/redirect?page=gir-regional-manifesto [Source]

• 04 Dec 2019: Tweet

  Labour will tax oil and gas companies to fund a just transition, ensuring workers and communities reliant on fossil fuels can access the green jobs of today and tomorrow [Source]

• 04 Dec 2019: Tweet

  Labour applauds this action by Client Earth. Big oil companies should have invested in green energy, not greenwashing. https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/uk/green-lawyers-launch-complaint-over-bp-ad-campaign-amid-climate-emergency/ [Source]

• 28 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Labour will lead the transformative change we need to tackle the climate crisis. ♻️ Participatory decision making ♻️ Local ci… [Source]

• 28 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Children shouldn't have to pay with their health for the failure of politicians to tackle the climate emergency. ✔️ That's wh… [Source]

• 28 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Labour will take our national grid and the Big Six energy companies into public ownership. #ClimateDebate https://t.co/dcvKbL… [Source]

• 28 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @jeremycorbyn: This election is our last chance. #ClimateDebate https://t.co/MdU8obH1Yt [Source]

• 24 Nov 2019: Tweet

  Labour is proposing a Green Industrial Revolution to tackle the climate crisis and bring new wealth to all parts of the UK. But from their manifesto, it looks like the Tories have given up on our future. [Source]

• 20 Nov 2019: Tweet

  You can't trust the Lib Dems on climate change https://t.co/rPXm6oAgeX https://t.co/5P46Ca0p2n [Source]

• 18 Nov 2019: Tweet

  Our manifesto will set out a pathway towards net zero by 2030. I look forward to setting out these plans in more detail over this campaign. Nothing less than our collective future is at stake. [Source]

• 18 Nov 2019: Tweet

  If we’re going to avoid dangerous climate change, what matters is what happens now, before #2030. Action on the scale we need won’t happen without a Labour government. It’s that simple. https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ThirtyBy2030report.pdf [Source]

• 17 Nov 2019: Tweet

  Scientists and climate advisers condemn Tory environmental record https://t.co/9KlUWiKfcH [Source]

• 08 Nov 2019: Tweet

  If we don’t invest to tackle the climate emergency, we face catastrophic impacts on our food systems, our infrastructure, our security. This is established science, but it is rarely mentioned in discussion of Labour’s spending plans. [Source]

• 06 Nov 2019: Tweet

  Investing to tackle the climate crisis is not just morally right. It's also good economics #GreenIndustrialRevolution https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/environment/2019/11/green-industrial-revolution-isnt-just-good-ethics-its-good-economics [Source]

• 03 Nov 2019: Tweet

  Labour will transform our economy and deal with the climate crisis. That's what we mean by #RealChange. #Ridge https://t.co/rabgO4UHpS [Source]

• 02 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @LabourByTheMany: Only Labour has a vision big enough for our country & has a plan to tackle the climate crisis & take on an economy tha… [Source]

• 01 Nov 2019: Tweet

  RT @DaniRowley: ???? Thread ???? When we declared a climate emergency, we gave the Tories 6 months to come back with an urgent plan. Today the… [Source]

• 30 Oct 2019: Tweet

  Only Labour will deliver a #GreenIndustrialRevolution that addresses the climate emergency, bans fracking and delivers hundreds of thousands of skilled, unionised jobs #GreenNewDeal https://www.tribunemag.co.uk/2019/10/labours-green-industrial-revolution [Source]

• 23 Oct 2019: Tweet

  RT @DaniRowley: Hey @joswinson, I hear you're interested in @UKLabour's decarbonisation plan. Why not join @RLong_Bailey and I tomorrow for… [Source]

• 23 Oct 2019: Tweet

  RT @labourpress: “Fracking threatens air and water quality and it contributes to the climate crisis...The government’s plan for making frac… [Source]

• 19 Oct 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  All this is coming at a time when we face a climate crisis across the world, and it is simply unacceptable.

  Full debate: European Union (Withdrawal) Acts

• 15 Oct 2019: Tweet

  We're in a climate crisis yet the World Bank - which the UK funds - is cutting renewable investments. Labour will redirect international climate finance away from the World Bank https://www.energylivenews.com/2019/10/14/development-banks-cutting-renewable-investment-despite-climate-crisis/ [Source]

• 09 Oct 2019: Tweet

  Labour takes the #ClimateEmergency seriously. It’s time for a Green Industrial Revolution. We'll increase UK offshore wind power five-fold over ten years, creating 67,000 good, unionised jobs. Are you with us? Sign our petition 👉 https://digital-campaigns-api.herokuapp.com/redirect?page=green-industrial-revolution?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GIR&source=PLPintent_greenindrev&subsource=twitter_organic [Source]

• 26 Sep 2019: Tweet

  RT @BarryGardiner: The UN Climate Summit has not matched the Sec General’s ambition. China, India and the EU failed to announce tougher nat… [Source]

• 24 Sep 2019: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Our Green Industrial Revolution will tackle climate change as a top priority ???? https://t.co/hS3kasqAUe [Source]

• 10 Sep 2019: Tweet

  RT @unitetheunion: Climate change is a trade union issue. It’s a class issue. Trade unions must be central to the fight to ensure it’s not… [Source]

• 04 Sep 2019: Tweet

  Sajid Javid announced £30 million of new spending to get to net zero. This is a derisory amount in the face of a climate emergency - Green groups are calling for an additional £25 billion. Labour will spend £250 billion over 10 years to usher in a Green Industrial Revolution. [Source]

• 25 Aug 2019: Tweet

  RT @CatSmithMP: The earth tremors are shocking & grab headlines but let’s not lose sight of the wider issue too. Climate change means we ca… [Source]

• 22 Aug 2019: Tweet

  RT @Strike4Youth: Hey @BorisJohnson you’ve just been signed up for a Geography GCSE to teach you about climate change ???? We can help you re… [Source]

• 16 Aug 2019: Tweet

  This week a study found that #fracking has caused a spike in methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - in the atmosphere. Today, our Government considers relaxing earthquake rules to make fracking easier. https://www.ft.com/content/6cd029c6-bf50-11e9-89e2-41e555e96722 [Source]

• 10 Aug 2019: Tweet

  Integrating large amounts of renewable energy will require planned and coordinated investments in our networks - which is why Labour has committed to taking the grid back into public hands. [Source]

• 03 Aug 2019: Tweet

  RT @jeremycorbyn: We need bold action now to tackle the climate crisis. But the close relationship between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump i… [Source]

• 17 Jul 2019: Tweet

  The party that devastated the UK’s industrial heartlands in the 80's doesn't have a just transition plan for decarbonisation. Putting well paid, highly skilled, unionised jobs at risk. The Govt need to work with @UKLabour on making a 'real' #GreenIndustrialRevolution a reality https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1151391977985970176/video/1 [Source]

• 16 Jul 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  Does the Minister agree with the TUC that, while decarbonisation presents exciting economic opportunities, the lack of a comprehensive and just transition policy and a coherent industrial strategy means that many well-paid, highly skilled unionised jobs are under threat?

  Full debate: Zero-carbon Economy

  The truth is that the party that devastated the UK’s industrial heartlands in the 1980s does not have a just transition plan. Will the Minister put ideology and laissez-faire economics aside and work with us on this side to make a real green industrial revolution a reality?

  Full debate: Zero-carbon Economy

• 10 Jul 2019: Tweet

  Labour takes the climate crisis seriously, and will kick start a Green Industrial Revolution to safeguard our future and transform our economy [Source]

• 10 Jul 2019: Tweet

  A remarkable, damning assessment of this government’s failure to tackle and prepare for climate change - by their official advisers. https://www.carbonbrief.org/ccc-uk-has-just-18-months-to-avoid-embarrassment-over-climate-inaction/ [Source]

• 03 Jul 2019: Tweet

  RT @LabourRichard: In the face of climate catastrophe, we must organise and build a movement #ForTheMany and #ByTheMany. Join me, @RLong_B… [Source]

• 25 Jun 2019: Vote

  Delegated Legislation — Value Added Tax - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No

• 24 Jun 2019: Tweet

  RT @johnmcdonnellMP: In government, we will harness the full might of the Treasury to tackle climate change. #GreenIndustrialRevolution htt… [Source]

• 24 Jun 2019: Tweet

  For those who think it's too expensive for the UK to fight climate change - try relocating entire towns and villages https://news.sky.com/story/the-fight-for-fairbourne-uks-first-climate-change-refugees-battle-to-save-coastal-village-11746391 [Source]

• 22 Jun 2019: Tweet

  It’s easy to get disheartened in the fight against austerity and the climate crisis. But then you come to Cornwall and find a packed hall of people - calling for jobs, investment, and a #GreenIndustrialRevolution to fight climate change - and you know we’re going to win https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1142426657929801729/photo/1 [Source]

• 20 Jun 2019: Tweet

  Why public ownership is needed to tackle the climate crisis. Great explainer from We Own It. You can't separate climate justice from economic justice. https://twitter.com/We_OwnIt/status/1141736832083910663 [Source]

• 19 Jun 2019: Tweet

  There is huge public support for rapid action to fight climate change, and that is what Labour will deliver. Join me in Cornwall this Saturday where Labour will be discussing how a #GreenIndustrialRevolution could transform the South West https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/19/britons-want-faster-action-climate-poll [Source]

• 18 Jun 2019: Tweet

  RT @labourpress: "The government must acknowledge just how disastrous Conservative policies have been for renewable energy in the UK" says… [Source]

• 12 Jun 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. I echo his thanks, not least to the Committee on Climate Change, and to my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband), my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) and the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk). I, too, would like to welcome the right hon. Member for Devizes (Claire Perry) back to her place.

  I begin by welcoming the statement. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was just wrong, in my view, recently to exaggerate the costs of achieving net zero, and it is good to see the Government listening instead to the experts at the Committee on Climate Change. The Labour party committed to a target of net zero emissions before 2050 at its 2018 conference, and it is welcome to see the Government move in a similar direction.

  in meeting those targets at all. It is, however, a matter of fact, confirmed by the Committee on Climate Change and official BEIS statistics, that the UK is off track to meet its fourth and fifth carbon budgets. It would be helpful if the Secretary of State took this opportunity to correct the record, and to tell the House—if the Government are off track to meet their existing carbon budgets—what immediate strategic decisions he will make to ensure that the public can have confidence in the Government’s ability to meet even more stringent targets. That confidence can certainly be restored, but the Secretary of State must recognise that urgent commitments to investment and new legislation will be needed

  Today’s statement is a welcome first step, but the Secretary of State has already recognised the scale of the task that lies ahead. Since 2015, when the Conservative Government secured a majority, they have systematically dismantled the policy frameworks that were designed to tackle climate change. They have effectively banned onshore wind, reduced almost all support for solar power, scrapped the zero carbon homes standard, sold off the UK Green Investment Bank, removed support for tidal power, and relentlessly pushed fracking—fracking, of all things! Moreover, there has been a 98% fall in home insulation measures since 2010.

  At this point the Secretary of State will mention offshore wind, so let us be clear about that. The Government have committed themselves to bringing 30 GW of offshore wind on stream by 2030—well done!—but that is significantly less than the 50 GW that the Labour party has pledged, and dramatically less than the 75 GW that the Committee on Climate Change says we could need by 2050. Greenpeace has described the slow pace at which the Government have made contracts for difference available as “bewildering”, and analysis by Green Alliance has found that the Government are pushing the sector into a boom-and-bust cycle.

  I could go on—these policy decisions have put the UK back by years—but, as climate change is still reversible, so is the Government’s track record. I am trusting the Secretary of State today to promise the House that, as one of his lasting legacies, he will turn that record around. I welcome his collegiate tone, because there are many—not least the Committee on Climate Change, the Labour party, other Members of Parliament, numerous industry groups, and energy and climate organisations—who have the ground-breaking ideas that are necessary. The Secretary of State need only reach out to those who are desperate to help him.

  Achieving net zero before 2050 is necessary and affordable, and there is no need to rely on international offsets, which—let us be honest—does look like cheating. At this point, may I ask the Secretary of State whether aviation and shipping are excluded from the net zero targets, and if so, why? To achieve net zero, however, we will need huge levels of investment. We will need co-ordinated planning and new laws, and, as with any emergency, we will need significant Government intervention. I do not believe that that is ideological, or even party-political; it is just common sense, and that is why it is at the heart of Labour’s plans for ushering in a green industrial revolution.

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions Target

• 11 Jun 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  Might I begin by expressing my support for the efforts of my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) in bringing forward her Bill today to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050? To achieve that, supporting our automotive industry will be vital, but Ford had warned that leaving the EU would add hundreds of millions to its costs, and after the vote, it said that it was considering closing plants. This warning has come to pass. Ford is now saying that another 6,000 jobs could be at risk in the event of no deal, which is particularly concerning now that it looks likely that the next PM will actively pursue it. What direct support has the Secretary of State offered Ford to reverse its decision, and has he considered the impact of a no deal on manufacturing when deciding who to back as the next Prime Minister?

  Full debate: Electric Vehicles

• 09 Jun 2019: Tweet

  With Labour recently declaring a climate emergency, it was a pleasure to speak alongside @fannycalder and @ProfPankhurst at the @salfordsu event recently. Talking about the biggest issues our environment is facing and discussing what we all can do to address them https://x.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1137715720630915072/photo/1 [Source]

• 5 Jun 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  The President certainly seemed to think the NHS was on the table yesterday. So does the Trade Secretary, but who knows who speaks for the Government at the moment? The Prime Minister did nothing to allay concerns yesterday, so I hope she was more forceful in raising climate change with a President who initiated the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, opened up record amounts of land for oil and gas drilling and called climate change a hoax. Can the right hon. Gentleman confirm whether yesterday the Prime Minister made any attempt to convince the President that climate change is in fact real?

  Full debate: Engagements

  The statistics that the right hon. Gentleman referred to relate to emissions cuts since 2010, when the UK benefited from policies put in place by the last Labour Government—policies that have since been dismantled. But how much authority do this Government actually have on this issue? Three current Cabinet Ministers have denied the scientific consensus on climate change, and several of those standing in the Tory leadership contest have close links with organisations and individuals promoting climate denial. It does not bode well. Figures released in April show that the UK is set to miss its own carbon budgets by an ever-widening margin. Would the right hon. Gentleman like to explain why the Government are off track in respect of meeting their own targets?

  Full debate: Engagements

  Let me be clear: the Labour party does not condone the reopening of any coal mine to be used for energy purposes. Once again, the right hon. Gentleman refers to climate emissions reductions that were implemented using Labour party policy—Labour policies that have since been dismantled. Not only are the Government failing to meet their targets, but last year actually saw the smallest drop in carbon emissions in the last six years: just 2%. At that rate it would take until the end of the century to reach net zero emissions. Just yesterday, the Financial Times reported that the Government are accused of trying to “fiddle its emissions figures”, ignoring their official advisers. So let me ask the right hon. Gentleman a simple policy question: the Labour party has committed to banning fracking. Will the Government ban fracking and allow new onshore wind in England—yes or no?

  Full debate: Engagements

  This is absolutely staggering. The Government promote fracking, which is backed by only 12% of the public, yet they effectively block onshore wind, which is backed by 79% of the public. New solar is down 94% and home insulation is down 98%. Parliament has declared a climate emergency, yet there is no evidence that this Government take it seriously. We need a green industrial revolution to tackle climate change. The Swansea tidal lagoon alone would have required 100,000 tonnes of steel, mainly from Port Talbot, but the Government refused to back it. Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us what the Government have actually done to support our steel industry since signing the steel charter?

  Full debate: Engagements

  The independent Committee on Climate Change has repeatedly criticised the Government’s approach to decarbonising our economy. I note that there was not a single word in the right hon. Gentleman’s response on what support the Government will provide for the steel industry, and people from Redcar to Scunthorpe know that his empty rhetoric will not solve their catastrophe. Climate change is an existential threat. To safeguard our future, we will need to mobilise all our resources, just like we did when we rebuilt Britain after the second world war. If we took the challenge seriously, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs in low-carbon industries, reverse decades of decline in our de-industrialised areas and lead the world in renewable technologies, but the Government are letting us down. They have recklessly run the clock down on Brexit, and is it not the truth that their failure is now running down the clock on our planet?

  Full debate: Engagements

• 5 Jun 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Earlier today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office may have accidentally said, in response to a question about the UK’s carbon budgets, “We are not off track” to meeting those targets at all. The Government’s official adviser on climate change, the Committee on Climate Change, has reported that the UK is off track to meeting its fourth and fifth carbon budgets, and official statistics published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have also shown that it is off track. It is therefore a matter of established fact that the UK is off track to meeting its targets. Can you advise me, Mr Speaker, on how we can correct the record?

  Full debate: Points of Order

• 05 Jun 2019: Tweet

  He also claimed that the UK is not off track to meeting its climate change targets. This is factually inaccurate https://t.co/kV1Q9rc4Wo [Source]

• 05 Jun 2019: Tweet

  Today David Lidington claimed that the Conservatives' record on climate change is world leading. But the facts speak for themselves. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/05/home-solar-panel-installations-fall-by-94-as-subsidies-cut [Source]

• 30 May 2019: Tweet

  RT @IanLaveryMP: .@UKLabour will build together green unionised jobs, renewable energy & hope for future generations. Which is why I am del… [Source]

• 24 May 2019: Tweet

  RT @labourpress: “Young people are taking to the streets to send a clear message that climate change will be a fundamental and defining fea… [Source]

• 24 May 2019: Tweet

  Labour will make climate change an educational priority, while equipping our young people for the green jobs of the future. Great announcement from @AngelaRayner #SchoolStrike4Climate https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/labour-climate-change-school-protests-curriculum-strikes-a8927636.html [Source]

• 1 May 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  We also heard from my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband), who was applauded right across the House for his groundbreaking work on climate change. He said that every political issue that we consider must deal with climate change. In that vein, I want to pay tribute to the many colleagues who have not had the opportunity to speak today but who have been leading the charge on climate change, not least my hon. Friends the Members for Workington (Sue Hayman), for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) and for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead), who are sitting behind me today.

  Secondly, climate change and the environment are not luxury concerns. It is working people who benefit the most when our public spaces flourish—urban or rural—and it is the poorest, both at home and internationally, who will be hit first and worst by the climate emergency. As we have heard today, it is working people who have the most to gain from a green industrial revolution that could transform our economy, creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs. We on this side of the House estimate that retrofitting the UK’s housing stock could create 160,000 jobs right across the UK, and that offshore wind could create 120,000 jobs by 2030, largely in coastal towns and regions that have struggled for decades.

  Thirdly, our climate and our environment are in deep trouble. We do not have to look far to see that climate change is already a disaster for many across the world, from the cyclone that recently struck Mozambique to the protracted droughts in east Africa. If we continue on our current path, we face unimaginable losses for every Member’s constituency and for people and communities across the world. But here’s the thing: it does not have to be that way. We are running out of time, but there is still time, so let us use it well and start today by declaring a climate emergency.

  What does it mean to declare an emergency? The motion sets out some guidance. It means reducing our greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible and down to net zero before 2050, with short-term targets for the green energy transition and sustainable modes of transport. It means properly funding environmental protection domestically and legislating to reduce waste, moving towards a zero-waste economy. It means capturing the green jobs of the future and mitigating the impact of transitioning to a low-carbon economy on workers and regions. It means bringing wildlife and biodiversity back to levels that I am too young to remember but by which, as we know from David Attenborough, nobody is too young or too old to be captivated. Perhaps more than anything, declaring an emergency means that we will devote the time and resources to the problem that are commensurate with its scale. We can start that today by declaring a climate and environment emergency. The motion gives us a basis on which to act, and that is why I commend it to the House.

  Full debate: Environment and Climate Change

• 30 Apr 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  In 2016, the UK’s carbon emissions fell at 6% a year, and in 2017, emissions fell at 3% a year, but in 2018, the figure was 2%—just a 2% fall—so at a time when action should be ramping up to tackle the climate emergency, can the Minister explain why the UK’s progress is slowing down?

  Full debate: Climate Change: Discussions with DEFRA

  I ask this in good faith and in all seriousness: does the Minister accept that the UK’s stalling progress is related to banning—in effect—onshore wind, reducing almost all support for solar power, scrapping the zero-carbon homes standard and selling off the Green Investment Bank? Will he be honest about the challenge, and work with Labour and Members right across this House on turning this around, so that we can truly tackle climate change and properly seize the economic opportunities within the green economy?

  Full debate: Climate Change: Discussions with DEFRA

• 19 Feb 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  The UK has a world-class automotive sector and could be a world leader in electric vehicles, at the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology and research, but the Government have failed to invest to support the transition. I will give just one example. The Treasury pledged last year to support the switch to zero-emission vehicles with a £400 million fund for charging infrastructure, giving manufacturers the certainty to invest in production. Half of the money was to come from the taxpayer, with the rest matched by the private sector. However, one year on, the money that it was promised would be raised from the private sector has not been secured and no money from the fund has been invested.

  Full debate: Honda in Swindon

• 12 Feb 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  That was straight and very to the point. The Secretary of State may have pointed to the falling cost of renewable energy, but he cannot disown his Government’s policies, unfortunately, which are plunging that industry from crisis to crisis. New deployment of solar has fallen 90% since 2016. New onshore wind deployment has fallen 80%, so that certainly does not sound like the end of the energy trilemma. With people getting nervous about how we are going to keep the lights on, will he describe in detail where exactly he expects the UK to source low-carbon electricity from by the end of the 2020s?

  Full debate: Topical Questions

• 10 Jan 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I want to talk briefly about environmental and climate protections. We know that non-regression clauses in relation to environmental protections would not be subject to the arbitration procedures set out in articles 170 to 181. Instead, standards would be enforced at the domestic level and through far weaker state-to-state procedures that are rarely effective in international treaties. The political declaration, meanwhile, contains only hortatory statements regarding climate, energy and the environment that have no legal effect. How can we trust this Government to maintain domestic standards when they have taken quite an active role, shall we say, in opposing EU progress on energy and climate change?

  Full debate: European Union (Withdrawal) Act

  I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention; he makes an important point. The Government’s track record has been rather deficient, to say the least. For example, in 2017 this Government lobbied for EU renewable energy and energy efficiency targets to be reduced, made non-binding or even scrapped. Is it now this Government’s position after Brexit to adopt and maintain to 2030 at least the same ambition as that in the revised renewable energy directive and energy efficiency directive? If so, how can we trust the Government to honour that position?

  Full debate: European Union (Withdrawal) Act

• 11 Dec 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  I turn to energy efficiency. A well-insulated home saves households money, makes homes naturally warmer and more pleasant places to live, and cuts energy use, helping to tackle climate change. At least £1 for every £4 spent heating UK homes is wasted due to poor insulation. Improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, which is among the oldest and least efficient in Europe, really should be a no-brainer, so how are we currently faring?

  According to the Committee on Climate Change, insulation rates have fallen by 90% since 2012. The energy company obligation—known as ECO—which is funded by a levy on bills, is the only remaining domestic energy efficiency delivery mechanism in England. It has also been cut from £1.2 billion a year when it was first introduced in 2013 to £720 million per annum in its second phase, and has been reduced still further to £640 million—effectively a 50% cut. It is therefore no surprise that the Government are off track to meet their targets.

  Full debate: Fuel Poverty

• 12 Nov 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  Toshiba’s decision to withdraw from Moorside is a blow to the UK’s energy security, its decarbonisation goals, and the economy of Cumbria. But let us be clear where the real responsibility lies. The Cumbrian chamber of commerce, and the GMB and Prospect trade unions, among others, have all laid the blame with this Government for their lack of clarity over funding and their ultimate failure to take a direct stake in Moorside—something that Labour has repeatedly committed to do.

  Thirdly, the electricity produced by Moorside would be low-carbon, which is key to meeting the UK’s future carbon budgets, so if the Secretary of State cannot commit to the future of Moorside, can he describe what additional measures the Government will take to reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions? Finally, what contingency plans does the Secretary of State have in place for the economic development of west Cumbria, to which Moorside would have brought a reported 6,000 jobs in the construction phase and 1,000 permanent jobs thereafter?

  Full debate: Nuclear Power: Toshiba

• 15 Oct 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement today. I am pleased to be responding to the news that she has written to the Committee on Climate Change asking for advice on setting a date for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, despite any good intentions she may have had in writing that letter, she must understand that Government policy is demonstrably incompatible with that goal.

  First, investment in renewable energy has undergone what the Environmental Audit Committee refers to as a “dramatic and worrying collapse”—falling 56% in 2017. Changes in planning rules and Government funding since 2015 have seen the rate of deployment of new solar fall 95%, and planning applications for new onshore wind fall 94%. The Government now plan to remove support to small-scale renewables, which according to the Solar Trade Association, risks the almost total collapse of the industry. How is this compatible with net zero emissions?

  Secondly, this Government and the last have sadly overseen a collapse in investment in energy efficiency, with Energy UK pointing to a 53% drop in investment between 2012 and 2015, an 80% reduction in improvement measures, and further declines projected to 2020. Again, how is this compatible with net zero emissions?

  Thirdly, this Government have pursued a policy of fracking at any cost, overruling local planning decisions and reportedly even considering relaxing earthquake regulations. Shale gas can only be described as low carbon if it replaces coal in the energy mix, but coal is already on its way out of the UK’s energy mix, before fracking has even started. If shale gas were to come online now, it would be displacing genuinely low carbon energy, not coal. James Hansen, the former NASA scientist known as the father of climate science last week slammed this Government’s decision to pursue fracking as “aping” Donald Trump. What a terrible irony it is that the first day of Green Great Britain Week is the day that fracking is due to commence in Preston. How is this compatible with net zero emissions?

  Fourthly, last week the Government announced that they are cutting the electric vehicle plug-in grant by £1,000—a move described by industry as “astounding”. Fifthly, according to the Committee on Climate Change, the Government are off course to meet existing carbon budgets, which are set with a view to achieving an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. So I ask again: how is this compatible with meeting the more ambitious target of net zero emissions?

  I believe that the answer to that question is contained within today’s letter to the Committee on Climate Change, in which the Minister describes carbon budgets 3 to 5, which run up to 2032, as “out of scope” of the referral. By effectively ruling out any additional action on climate change in the next 14 years, the Government seem to be asking the committee for advice but only in so far as they do not actually have to act on it. Unlike Labour’s plan to dramatically decarbonise energy supply and insulate 4 million homes as part of a green jobs revolution, the Government do not expect actually to implement any of the real measures needed to avert dangerous climate change. Sadly, without more robust and radical action from the Minister, she must realise that her Government’s vision for a green Great Britain is just a great green washout.

  Full debate: Green GB Week and Clean Growth

• 12 Jun 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  The Government’s shambolic policy on the solar and onshore wind sectors in recent years has meant that significant economic growth and decarbonisation opportunities have been lost. For example, we have seen dramatic feed-in tariff subsidy cuts; business and VAT rate hikes; and obstruction to clean power auctions. Sadly, as we have heard today, there are reports that the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon, the world’s first tidal lagoon, which would create thousands of jobs and local supply chains and use 100,000 tonnes of majority British steel, is potentially on the Secretary of State’s hit list. Will the Minister buck that trend today and confirm when the decision will be made, and outline what support she will give to solar and onshore wind?

  Full debate: Economic Growth and Emissions

• 6 Mar 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  That review had two main findings: first, that the cost of energy is significantly higher than it needs to be to meet the Government’s objectives and, in particular, to be consistent with the Climate Change Act 2008 and to ensure security of supply; and, secondly, that energy policy, regulation and market design are not fit for the purposes of the emerging low-carbon energy market as it undergoes profound technical change. Dieter published his report in late October. It echoed our calls for a change in ownership of the electricity network; unsurprisingly, we heard little from the Government.

  Full debate: Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill

• 28 Nov 2017: Parliamentary Speech

  That is simply laughable in the context of their track record on supporting green energy, and especially so given that last week’s Budget essentially closed down support for much low-carbon development in the UK. There will be no new low-carbon electricity levies until 2025, with no alternative funding outlined. Nor was there any support for, or indeed any mention of, specific renewable projects such as the Swansea tidal lagoon. There is a huge contradiction between the Government’s rhetoric on clean growth and the reality of their policies.

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions

• 21 Mar 2017: Parliamentary Speech

  Economic analysis by the well-regarded Frontier Economics suggests that the net present value of investing in insulating homes could be as valuable as the HS2 project. Cambridge Econometrics found that for each pound spent on insulating homes £1.12 is generated for the Treasury and £3 for the economy in GDP, and 42 pence is saved by the NHS. It is clear that investing in insulation has a positive effect not just for those in fuel poverty or for climate change, but for the wider economy. Unfortunately, however, the fact is that if we compare major insulation measures being installed today to 10 years ago under the previous Labour Government, there has been a huge 88% fall. Put another way, the long-term solution to fuel poverty gets 12% of the support that it originally received.

  Full debate: Fuel Poverty

• 6 Sep 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  For hon. Members who might have forgotten the background, let me briefly recap how our ability to debate this amendment today came about. Amid the fallout from the so-called “ultra-shambles” Budget, the Government were forced to become the first in history, so far as I am aware, to accept an Opposition amendment to their Budget. It was designed to block the Government’s planned 300% increase in VAT on solar panels and energy-saving materials—essentially a green energy tax hike. The solar tax alone would add £1,000 to the cost of a household solar energy installation, punishing those who are trying to do the right thing and do their bit to halt climate change. It would also put at risk thousands of jobs in an industry that is already expected to experience up to 18,700 job losses, as was conceded by the former Energy Secretary, and this tax raid would have caused even more damage. For those reasons, we tabled an amendment to the Budget to enable the Chancellor to use the Finance Bill to maintain the current rate of VAT on green energy and home insulation.

  The Government initially claimed that a European Court ruling prevented them from stopping the tax hike, although it was apparent that they had failed to negotiate at European level to protect the renewables industry. None the less, the industry made very clear that there was room, even within the ruling, to avoid the drastic measures that they were planning to impose. When that led to a significant number of Conservative Members adding their weight to calls from Opposition Members, it appeared that the Government would be defeated on the issue. Ministers initially backed down, claiming that what we were proposing had been their position all along, only to avoid making such a commitment when pressed during Treasury questions and, just a few weeks later, during questions to the Secretary of State for the now abolished Department of Energy and Climate Change.

  That is not surprising, given the Government’s abysmal failure to provide any kind of certainty for the renewable energy sector in the United Kingdom. Over the past six years, they have consistently undermined support by, for instance, cutting the feed-in tariff by 64%, scrapping tax relief for clean energy projects, and removing subsidies for new onshore wind farms. The £1 billion for investment in carbon capture and storage has also been scrapped. At the same time, safeguards to reduce the environmental risks posed by fracking have been stripped away, and fracking under national parks has been given the go-ahead. The executive director of Greenpeace UK put it succinctly recently, saying:

  This would be an opportune time for the new Chancellor and his team to signal a change of direction by accepting our new clause, but I fear that, given the abolition of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Conservative party’s husky-hugging days are long gone. I am pleased, however, that the Government have finally seen fit to publish the report by the Committee on Climate Change on the compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting the UK’s carbon budgets. I can see now why they sat on it for four months.

  “Our assessment is…that onshore petroleum extraction on a significant scale is not compatible with UK climate targets”.

  I digress. Let me conclude my remarks about new clause 15. Opposition Members want to ensure that the original solar tax U-turn is guaranteed in statute in the Finance Bill, to prevent a second U-turn. That would give the renewable energy market the certainty that it needs and deserves, and would, we hope, send a signal that the new Administration are prepared to look again at the future of the industry in a green economy. If we are to take seriously the intention of the new Ministers to rethink these fundamental issues, now is the time for them to show it.

  Full debate: Finance Bill

  The Bill fails to address the long-term pressures facing the UK’s energy supply industry and fails to deliver on our climate change targets, as agreed just a few months ago by the right hon. Member for Hastings and Rye (Amber Rudd), now the Home Secretary. The renewable energy sector, as we heard in the previous debate, has been consistently undermined by this Government, and the Bill before us today does nothing to provide the stability or support that this industry craves.

  Earlier today, we debated a specific amendment on the VAT treatment of energy-saving materials in the hope that the Government would make it clear in statute that the proposed solar tax hike would not go ahead. Unfortunately, the Government would not agree to our new clause and as such the insecurity for this industry continues. Furthermore, the Bill still makes sweeping changes to the climate change levy, which could seriously undermine its efficacy. In Committee of the whole House, we tabled an amendment calling for a review of the impact of the climate change levy on carbon emissions, but we were unfortunately defeated in the Lobbies. The change will go ahead with no assessment of whether the somewhat altered levy will do its job. That, too, is just not good enough from the British Government.

  Over the weekend, we saw China and the United States ratify the Paris climate deal. Together they are responsible for 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, so that marks a huge step forward in climate change responsibility. Our Government, however, have not ratified the treaty, and have rowed back on almost all their green commitments since the election. I will not list them again, as it is an extensive list, but the Bill does nothing to tackle the issue of climate change head on, and, we believe, weakens measures that are already in place.

  Full debate: Finance Bill

• 06 Sep 2016: Vote

  Finance Bill — VAT on Installation of Energy Saving Materials - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 14 Jul 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  I hope the Minister is listening, because we should be more ambitious about what can be achieved through policy. We want to see resilient, high-productivity businesses in an economy that is fairer for everyone. My hon. Friend the shadow Chancellor has previously expressed his ambition to at least double the size of the co-operative economy, which would be a £40 billion boost to the economy, but too much existing Government policy works against that. Cuts to renewable energy, and community generation in particular, make little economic sense. The damage done to genuine community-owned energy schemes through the withdrawals of incentives to investment, such as the seed enterprise investment scheme, has been significant.

  Full debate: Co-operatives

• 7 Jul 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  I want to repeat on the record how opposed we were to the last raft of changes to VED made in the previous Finance Bill. These changes put a stop to the link between the level of carbon dioxide emissions and the rate of vehicle excise duty. There is now simply a flat rate after the first year, with a surcharge on cars that cost more than £40,000. We simply do not see the Government’s justification for removing incentives for lower-polluting cars. I would be grateful if the Minister clarified that. Aside from that issue, I am happy for this clause to stand part of the Bill.

  Full debate: Finance Bill (Sixth sitting)

• 7 Jul 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  The Government announced some concessions, which included finally starting negotiations on the issue at European level. Nevertheless, the matter was largely ignored during the Prime Minister’s EU renegotiation, as the Government focused on issues such as defending the interests of the City of London. The issue was finally addressed only when Ministers were staring into the face of defeat over the ultra-shambles Budget. I know that the Minister will appreciate my saying that the Chancellor became the first in history to accept not one but two amendments to his own Budget resolution: one was in my name, on green energy VAT, and the other was, of course, in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Dewsbury. Do not worry, I have more to say on green energy VAT later in Committee.

  Full debate: Finance Bill (Fifth sitting)

• 27 Jun 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  I rise to speak to clauses 132 to 136, which make various changes to the climate change levy, and to amendment 183, which stands in my name and those of my hon. Friends the Members for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell), for Feltham and Heston (Seema Malhotra), for Wolverhampton South West (Rob Marris) and for Leeds East (Richard Burgon).

  Clause 132 relates to the removal of the exemption for electricity from renewable sources. Since the climate change levy’s inception in 2001, electricity from renewable sources has been exempt when supplied under a renewable source contract agreed between an energy supplier and its customer. In Budget 2015, the Chancellor announced that that exemption for renewable electricity would be removed from 1 August 2015 and that there would be a

  Clauses 133 and 134 will increase the main rates of the climate change levy in line with inflation in April 2017 and again in April 2018. It has been standard practice to increase the rates in line with inflation in each year’s Finance Bill since 2007 and, as the explanatory notes set out, wider changes to the CCL from 2019 are being legislated for in this Bill, so it makes sense to make provision for the next two years at the same time.

  Those wider changes are the subject of clause 135, which significantly increases the main rates of the climate change levy to recover Exchequer revenue lost from the abolition of the carbon reduction commitment. In doing so, the ratio of electricity to gas is rebalanced somewhat to 2.5:1, and it is the Government’s intention to rebalance the ratio further to 1:1 by 2025, to reflect the fall in gas prices and the expected increase in consumption as a result.

  The following clause increases the CCL discount available to energy intensive businesses subject to climate change agreements, to compensate equivalently for the increase to the main rates. The CCL discount for electricity will increase from 90% to 93%, and the discount for gas will increase from 65% to 78% from 1 April 2019. That provision mitigates a knock-on effect from clause 135.

  Our amendment to clause 135 would require the Government to conduct a review of the impact of the climate change levy on carbon emissions. The review will have particular reference to the removal of the exemption for electricity generated from renewable sources, the abolition of the carbon reduction commitment and the reporting requirements for companies and public sector bodies.

  Full debate: Finance Bill

• 09 May 2016: Vote

  Housing and Planning Bill — Planning obligations and affordable housing - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No

• 03 May 2016: Vote

  Housing and Planning Bill — Neighbourhood right of appeal - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No

• 14 Mar 2016: Vote

  Energy Bill [Lords] — New Clause 8 — Decarbonisation target range - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 14 Mar 2016: Vote

  Energy Bill [Lords] — New Clause 3 — Carbon capture and storage strategy for the energy industry - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 8 Mar 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  As we have heard, the proposed Swansea bay tidal lagoon has clear environmental benefits, as it harnesses a sustainable source of energy to generate a significant amount of carbon-free electricity over a long lifespan. Tidal Lagoon Power, the company that will construct, own and operate the plant, has suggested that it will generate enough electricity to power 90% of homes in Swansea bay over a 120-year lifespan. Indeed, as the generation of power relies only on the tide, it is an entirely predictable source of renewable energy.

  Full debate: Swansea Tidal Lagoon

  Tidal power is an easily replicable new industry. The UK could be a world leader in exporting the technology and manufacturing across the globe. I am sure that the Minister will agree that at a time when the balance of payments leaves much to be desired, the development of a new exportable industry would be highly beneficial to the country. In short, investment in renewable energy technologies is a long-term win for everyone, saving jobs, money and the environment.

  Full debate: Swansea Tidal Lagoon

• 26 Oct 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  The proposal dealing with vehicle excise duty relates to rates for light passenger vehicles in the UK and considerably flattens them out by introducing a flat-rate excise charge for every vehicle, regardless of carbon dioxide emissions, from 1 April 2017. First-year rates will continue to be determined by a sliding scale, depending on CO 2 emissions. For most greener cars, which emit below 120g of CO 2 per kilometre, people will now pay VED of up to £160 in the first year, whereas previously they paid nothing—only zero-emission cars will be liable for zero VED. In subsequent years, there will be a flat-rate of VED of £140 a year. Hon. Members will note that this will result in a substantial VED increase for low-emission cars in the first and subsequent years, while there is a substantial reduction for cars that are less carbon-efficient. Previously, VED for subsequent years was banded, with the more polluting cars paying more—up to £505.

  Clearly, over time, the approach being taken strongly benefits more polluting cars, which will pay hundreds of pounds a year less, while greener cars, aside from those with zero emissions, will pay about £100 a year more. To put this into perspective, approximately 445 cars are currently in the top least polluting bands and so pay no VED, as they emit less than 100g of CO 2 per kilometre, whereas under the proposed changes only 13 will fall into the exempt category. That represents a significant drop. In addition to those proposals, moves are also being made to additionally penalise vehicles priced at over £40,000 and, over time, there will also be a supplementary rate of £310 for the first five years.

  Labour Members agree with the Government that this is unsustainable, but we question whether the approach they have taken to address it is pragmatic. We do not agree that increasing the duty paid on low-emission cars while decreasing the duty paid on higher-emission cars is the logical solution. The fact that zero-emission vehicles will continue to be exempt from road tax is welcome, but we are concerned that a flat rate of VED, as outlined in this proposal, will mean that low-emission vehicles will pay £800 to £1,000 more over a seven-year period than they do now, while many high-emission vehicles are expected to pay up to £440 less.

  Full debate: Finance Bill

• 26 Oct 2015: Vote

  Finance Bill (Ways and Means) (Payment of Corporation Tax) — Chapter 5 — Supplementary provisions - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 20 Oct 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  Finally, it would be helpful if the Minister touched on the environmental implications of air passenger duty generally. I have had a number of queries regarding that, particularly from my own constituents. Aviation is, of course, covered by the EU emissions trading scheme, and we anticipate that the fifth carbon budget will address the sector later this year, but it would be helpful if he were to outline how the proposals under consideration will interact with our obligation to decarbonise, especially if we are moving towards little or no APD, and how a devolved settlement will work alongside nationally set targets.

  Full debate: Air Passenger Duty: Regional Airports

• 08 Sep 2015: Vote

  Bill Presented — Devolution (London) Bill — Clause 45 — CCL: removal of exemption for electricity from renewable sources - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No