Rwanda Bill Committee Stage Day 1

The Green Party remains utterly opposed to the entire Bill. I greatly regret that we gave it a Second Reading, it is nasty and inhumane. Clause 1(2)(b) says that “this Act gives effect to the judgement of Parliament that the Republic of Rwanda is a safe country”. Acts of Parliament are not vehicles for Parliament to express its opinion about issues, so this clause ought to be removed on that basis alone, or else we will start legislating opinions instead of laws. We have not been presented with any evidence to prove that Rwanda is safe, and we have no process to make such determinations.

Continue reading “Rwanda Bill Committee Stage Day 1”

My new Bill to win back public control of the water industry

Water Industry (Regulation and Renationalisation) Bill 

A Bill to make provision about the structure, ownership and regulation of the water industry; to allow, and in specified circumstances require the Secretary of State to bring water assets into public ownership; to provide for the recovery of dividends; to provide for monitoring of water quality; to set a target for the reduction of sewage discharges; to provide for financial penalties in relation to sewage discharges and breaches of monitoring requirements; to require the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage discharges from storm overflows, including an economic impact assessment; and for connected purposes. Continue reading “My new Bill to win back public control of the water industry”

Emergency Motion: Nutrient Neutrality

Emergency Motion to conference

Jenny has put an emergency motion to conference in response to reports that the government will try again to scrap the anti-pollution rules for areas like the Norfolk Broads and Lake District. Please like it on the Green Party members emergency motion page, so it can be debated:

Continue reading “Emergency Motion: Nutrient Neutrality”

Green Party recognised at Nature 2030 Political Purpose Awards

Our Westminster representatives won two of the six Nature 2030 Political Purpose Awards: Jenny won the 2023 Pollution, Waste & Air award and Caroline Lucas MP won the Lifetime Achievement award at the inaugural Political Purpose Awards held at the House of Lords on 20th September.

Continue reading “Green Party recognised at Nature 2030 Political Purpose Awards”

Nutrient neutrality

The Government this week attempted to throw out our inherited EU rules on sewage and house building. It took Jenny a week to convince Labour to take the opportunity to kill these late Government amendments to the Levelling Up Bill – amendments tabled by the Government at Report Stage in the Lords can be dismissed entirely because they haven’t been scrutinised at Committee Stage – and Labour did eventually join her in voting the amendments down Continue reading “Nutrient neutrality”