Catherine West MP: Climate Timeline

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Catherine West's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Catherine West

• 02 Dec 2024: Tweet

  Climate disasters are known to increase violence against women and girls, including Pacific Islanders. Our new report, co-produced with @DFAT, sets out recommendations for how to prevent violence, and address climate change. Read more https://ww2preventvawg.org/evidence-hub/climate-change-report (2/2) [Source]

• 28 Nov 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  Our enhanced trade partnership that was announced last year, as my hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham mentioned, will further strengthen co-operation in investment, digital trade, renewable energy and net zero. Taiwan produces the vast majority of the world’s most advanced semiconductors that drive our digital economy, and it has a critical place in the technology supply chains that underpin global markets. That is why we want our flourishing science and technology co-operation to continue.

  I am pleased to say that we hold regular expert-level talks with Taiwan on a range of other important issues. Hon. Members may have seen that our latest energy dialogue concluded just last week. We are also partners on climate action. Taiwan is a key market for the UK offshore wind sector. Our enhanced trade partnership will strengthen our co-operation on net zero technologies, which are essential for the transition to a clean energy system and for bolstering energy security.

  Full debate: Taiwan: International Status

• 17 Nov 2024: Tweet

  RT @AnnelieseDodds: I was at #COP29 last week making the case for measures to achieve our aim of a world free from poverty on a liveable pl… [Source]

• 03 Oct 2024: Tweet

  RT @RRegenvanu: Pleased to be able to congratulate the UK's new Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero @Ed_Miliband for the UK's histor… [Source]

• 11 Sep 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  The UK’s support to Bangladesh reflects other challenges that the country faces, including the impacts of climate change and humanitarian issues. My deepest sympathy is with the people of Bangladesh, in all its regions, as the nation faces the effects of the recent devastating floods; my thoughts are with all those affected. We have responded to the recent flooding with £483,000 of humanitarian assistance. That is, of course, on top of our long-standing support under the overseas development aid projects. The UK Government are also committed to providing humanitarian support for the Rohingya refugees, and we are very aware that, at this moment of stress for Bangladesh, this is a particularly precious duty that it is carrying out on behalf of the international community. As a leading donor to the Rohingya refugee response, we are providing humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, healthcare and protection services. Over £391 million has been provided by the UK since 2017. Because the current conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to the safe return of the Rohingya refugees, we are working with the interim Government in Bangladesh on continued support to those refugees.

  Full debate: Democracy in Bangladesh

• 10 Sep 2024: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: This decade is critical for action on the climate emergency. It was an honour to welcome Sir David Attenborough to the For… [Source]

• 29 Aug 2024: Tweet

  The UK government is committed to help increase Bangladesh’s resilience to climate change. This crucial funding will provide essential and life-saving support to flood affected communities including in Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali. https://twitter.com/ukinbangladesh/status/1829142969737457959 [Source]

• 26 Aug 2024: Tweet

  New Zealand climate ambition????UK expertise. Discussed how we can accelerate progress to net zero through clean energy @OctopusEnergyNZ https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1828063254997803372/photo/1 [Source]

• 25 Aug 2024: Tweet

  @UNICEF @UNFPA @OyunerdeneMN @naranbayarp Mongolia has some of the highest solar and wind potential in the world. In Ulaanbataar’s ger district, renewable energy initiatives from @urecaofficial and @UNDP are supporting Mongolia’s transition away from coal power. ???? https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1827787365093454215/photo/1 [Source]

• 24 Aug 2024: Tweet

  Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world. Burning coal and traffic congestion are drastically reducing air quality. But climate finance initiatives and innovation have the power to transform Mongolia’s carbon footprint ???? https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1827186370890092996/video/1 [Source]

• 23 Aug 2024: Tweet

  Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world. Burning coal and traffic congestion are drastically reducing air quality. But climate finance initiatives and innovation have the power to transform Mongolia’s carbon footprint ???? https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1826930836656046515/video/1 [Source]

• 16 May 2024: Tweet

  RT @MayorofLondon: I’m speaking at the climate summit today at the Vatican about why it’s so vital that cities take bold action to tackle t… [Source]

• 02 May 2024: Tweet

  Today's election will be close. Staying at home, or voting for any other party, will let Tory Susan Hall in to City Hall by the back door. Vote @SadiqKhan to protect free school meals, build the homes we need, and tackle the climate crisis. https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1786003956910440863/photo/1 [Source]

• 17 Apr 2024: Tweet

  RT @mikehakata: Out with @LondonLabour member, George, who lives within a stone's throw of brand new development of 46 net zero Haringey Co… [Source]

• 13 Apr 2024: Tweet

  RT @serauk: It’s fantastic that in @SadiqKhan London has a Mayor who understands the negative impact of the climate crisis on Londoner’s ha… [Source]

• 12 Apr 2024: Tweet

  RT @LondonLabour: Our Labour Mayor @SadiqKhan is taking world-leading action on climate change. ???? ✅Tackling toxic air ✅£500 million to fun… [Source]

• 05 Apr 2024: Tweet

  Local media is so important, developing young journalists & covering local news that matters from housing to community safety, climate change to support for refugees. Now @HaringeyCP needs your help to stay in print. Find out how???????? https://twitter.com/haringeycp/status/1773348280681791758 [Source]

• 9 Jan 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  Indeed, and it has been estimated that 500 million more people, rising to a billion by 2080, could become exposed to chikungunya and dengue, as these diseases spread to new geographies due to warmer climates—a point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Slough. As an example, the impact of flooding in Pakistan has also been mentioned, and in 2022 there was a 900% increase in dengue and a fivefold increase in the number of malaria cases. The Minister might be quite creative and see whether there is money in the climate funds to join up the health inequalities with the climate funding that will eventually become available through the COP28 process.

  While countries in the global south will of course carry a disproportionate burden, tropical diseases are now becoming a growing concern in non-endemic countries. Will the Minister update the House on Government efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change on malaria and NTDs, and what steps they are taking to support lower-income countries to address climate-sensitive infectious diseases? Conflict and humanitarian crises are considerable threats to progress. Many countries have seen increases in malaria cases and deaths, and a few experienced malaria epidemics. Ethiopia saw an increase of 1.3 million cases between 2021 and 2022, and political instability in Myanmar led to a surge in cases, from 78,000 in 2019 to 584,000 in 2022, with a knock-on effect in neighbouring Thailand.

  Full debate: Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases

• 09 Jan 2024: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: 2023 was the hottest year on record. We see the effects of the climate crisis all around us- floods, fires, droughts. L… [Source]

• 14 Dec 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  My hon. Friend the Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) made an extremely important point about the climate and the vulnerable nature of Tibet. Having hot-footed her way back from COP28, she has given us her update on the environmental concerns about that fragile part of our beautiful planet, where third pole ice storage and permafrost is thawing, with dreadful consequences for the river system. We know that a lack of water can cause long-term problems, including social ones, and she has made an important point. She also highlights the potential for Indo-Chinese relations to sour, and makes the important point that when we speak to leaders from the PRC, we must consider the trade relationship, which is very important to the UK’s economy, but crucially must not leave our values at the door. Will the Minister say when she last raised the issue of freedom of religion or belief in Tibet with her counterpart in the PRC?

  Full debate: Persecution of Buddhists: Tibet

• 03 Dec 2023: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: Great to be at COP28 with @Keir_Starmer and @Ed_Miliband meeting world leaders to discuss climate action. Rishi Sunak has… [Source]

• 02 Oct 2023: Tweet

  It was a pleasure to meet the Prime Minister of Bangladesh @Sheikh_Hasinaa. Bangladesh is an important partner for @UKLabour. There is important shared work on climate change, Rohingya refugees, and promoting free and fair elections ???????? ???????? https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1708809369595400596/photo/1 [Source]

• 01 Oct 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Rishi Sunak clearly talking nonsense when he says U.K. on track for 2030 climate targets, as his own watchdog says. And… [Source]

• 22 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @lisanandy: Despite an absent Prime Minister, who chose this of all week’s to trash Britain’s own leadership on climate change, there is… [Source]

• 13 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @DMiliband: The devastation we are seeing in Libya is another glaring reminder of the impact of climate change especially on fragile and… [Source]

• 08 Sep 2023: Tweet

  It was great to catch up with Haringey Tree Protectors, the Woodland Trust and Haringey councillors to discuss our beloved trees. Trees provide clean air, offer protection from flooding, and store carbon – they are vital if we're to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown. https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1700203092698890671/photo/1 [Source]

• 6 Sep 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  My right hon. Friend the Member for Warley (John Spellar) said earlier in the debate that it is right that our Government should hold Pakistan to account because we have a lot to do with Pakistan in so many areas, whether that is through the diaspora or through our strong relationships with the country. We are in a very good position when we talk about things such as climate change, poverty, women’s rights and so on with colleagues in Pakistan. Is the Minister absolutely sure that no UK aid money is being used—perhaps unwittingly—to aid or abet any persecution of the Ahmadi community? Can he say what the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is doing to protect and promote tolerance, diversity and religious freedoms in Pakistan, specifically where we have that link-in with UK aid?

  Full debate: Ahmadi Muslims: Pakistan

• 30 Jul 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: The cost of living crisis can only be beaten by tackling the climate crisis. That’s what Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan w… [Source]

• 19 Jul 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Businesses are sounding the alarm ???? The Conservatives have given up on climate leadership Their failure means higher ene… [Source]

• 13 Jul 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. As I say, over the weekend, I will read in detail the report from a Committee that always has a depth of wisdom, because it includes those who have spent many years in this House and who understand the workings of our democracy and Parliament. We will continue to work with it, but I dispute that there is not clarity. The Foreign Secretary’s speech at Chatham House a few months ago set out a very clear framework around protecting our assets, aligning our interests where we can, engaging on many issues—many of which will be beyond our borders—and working together on issues such as development and climate change challenges. That was very clear. The integrated review refresh, which was published a couple of months ago, set out in more detail what that means. We have a clear direction of travel in which we are very comfortable working, and the whole of Government is aligning around that to deliver positives, where necessary, and to protect UK interests as required.

  Full debate: Hong Kong Update

• 6 Jul 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  This debate has given us a great opportunity to praise the Commonwealth more widely as the modern institution it now is—one of which we can all be proud. As well as being visited by the Speaker from the Cypriot House of Representatives earlier in the week, just last night we heard the Climate Minister from Vanuatu, Ralph Regenvanu, speaking about the challenges surrounding climate change. Vanuatu is, of course, a very important member of the Commonwealth.

  Organisations in my constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green jumped at the chance to participate in the Queen’s Green Canopy project for Her late Majesty’s diamond jubilee, inspired by the fact that organisations throughout the Commonwealth were similarly committed to that project to increase tree cover—a vital step in tackling climate change in far-off places such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, which are so regularly subject to intense changes in climate. The current head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty the King, has dedicated his life to the issue of climate change, and I am sure he will continue to champion that.

  Full debate: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

• 30 Jun 2023: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: Zac Goldsmith's resignation statement is damning. Labour's Foreign Office will restore the UK's climate leadership by pushi… [Source]

• 13 Jun 2023: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: Our allies in the US the EU Australia and Germany have all entered the global race to reach net zero and create the jobs of… [Source]

• 25 May 2023: Tweet

  RT @RachelReevesMP: We must tackle climate change whilst seizing the opportunity to create jobs in future green industries in every part of… [Source]

• 10 May 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  Unfortunately, this is a particular problem in Hornsey and Wood Green, where the clay soil that most homes are built on has moved during the severe droughts and flooding we have experienced for the past few summers. With the climate crisis worsening, extreme weather events are set to become a regular feature of British summers. The law on foreseeability also means that areas such as the London Borough of Haringey, where shrinkable London clay is the underlying soil, must have proactive tree maintenance programmes for all trees whose roots may cause damage to buildings.

  Anyone can see that this needs to change. Often the finger of blame is too quickly pointed at a nearby tree, rather than investigating other causes and solutions. Mature trees help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, but they are being cut down in the hope of fixing an immediate subsidence risk.

  That is why I have called for a debate in Parliament on this issue. It is time that the Government properly recognise the critical role that trees play in improving our health and mitigating the worst effects of climate change and nature loss. The central issue here is that our current legislative protections for mature trees do not go far enough in recognising their value in making our communities healthier, happier places to live.

  Full debate: Urban Trees: Protection

• 04 May 2023: Tweet

  RT @PreetKGillMP: The world's poorest countries that have contributed the least to climate change are being hit first and worst. The test… [Source]

• 26 Apr 2023: Tweet

  Well, that is a lot of words to say "no". Unlike the Tories @UKLabour will put the climate crisis at heart of our foreign policy - as @DavidLammy has repeatedly made clear. https://x.com/CatherineWest1/status/1651151322719334401/photo/1 [Source]

• 18 Apr 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  4. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published on 20 March 2023. ( 904473 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

  On 2 May 2019, this Parliament declared a climate emergency, yet four years on, the Government are still dragging their feet. Some 4.4 million people rent in the privately rented sector, and that number is going up due to the Government’s incompetence in building more homes. What will the Government do to bring all privately rented properties up to an A, B or C rating as soon as humanly possible?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 18 Apr 2023: Tweet

  Energy efficiency is key to the climate emergency, but the government has been dragging it's feet in bringing homes up to standard. I urged the Minister to commit to doing all he can to make amends, but his response - as always - ducked responsibility for 13 years of failure ???? https://x.com/CatherineWest1/status/1648281070125699074/video/1 [Source]

• 21 Mar 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  11. What fiscal steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the economy in reaching net-zero carbon emissions. ( 904218 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

  Yesterday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published its report on the latest data, warning that the world is fast approaching irreversible levels of global heating. Why is the Treasury still giving energy companies an easy ride through lucrative loopholes in the energy windfall tax? The Treasury should be prioritising investments in renewables so that over time, our bills can come down.

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 21 Mar 2023: Tweet

  The #IPCC report is clear that climate crisis is now & human inaction will only intensify the fire. Today I asked the Minister why the Treasury keeps handing energy companies tax breaks through loopholes instead of investing in renewables ???????? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aN-Vw5jMJ8&feature=youtu.be [Source]

• 17 Mar 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: By delaying action on net zero, the Conservatives are robbing Britain of the opportunity to cut energy bills, boost energy… [Source]

• 16 Mar 2023: Tweet

  RT @RachelReevesMP: I am optimistic about the future. I believe Britain has the potential to galvanise green energy and get ahead in the g… [Source]

• 04 Feb 2023: Tweet

  RT @RodDowler: Leading from the front on delivering a greener future, Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change & Net Zero,… [Source]

• 03 Feb 2023: Tweet

  The climate emergency will always be front and centre for a future @UKLabour Government. Thank you @Ed_Miliband for coming to Hornsey & Wood Green last night & with @perayahmet @mikehakata showing how nationally & locally Labour will build a #fairergreenerfuture https://twitter.com/FoE_TWG/status/1621437731569106945 [Source]

• 02 Feb 2023: Tweet

  RT @Natasha_Walter: Climate emergency is front and centre of tonight’s local ⁦@UKLabour⁩ event with ⁦@Ed_Miliband⁩ ⁦@CatherineWest1⁩ ⁦@pera… [Source]

• 24 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @SarahOwen_: Watching Lord @SonnyLeong53 making his fantastic maiden speech during the debate on climate change. It is so lovely to see… [Source]

• 23 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: In an age of authoritarians, poverty and climate change, we need to modernise international development. Aid in the 2020s… [Source]

• 20 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: #COP27 has delivered an important step in recognising the consequences of the climate crisis for countries on its frontlin… [Source]

• 09 Nov 2022: Tweet

  Important statement on #cop27 in the Commons today, hardly any Tory MPs left in the Chamber! [Source]

• 08 Nov 2022: Tweet

  As London feels the impact of climate change, #flashfloods are becoming more frequent. With parts of my constituency badly affected again last weekend, I’ve urged Ministers to act now with an urgent prevention strategy so London can fully defend itself against extreme weather???????? https://x.com/CatherineWest1/status/1589924044585197568/photo/1 [Source]

• 08 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Rishi Sunak is a fossil fuel PM in a renewable age. This is the man who had to be dragged even to go to COP27, and who o… [Source]

• 07 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @FabianLeedsNE: ???????? Brazil can become a key player in the fight against climate change. But the UK’s relationship with the rest of the wo… [Source]

• 06 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @BBCPolitics: "There's a vacuum of leadership here" Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband says countries are "not moving nearly f… [Source]

• 06 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @PreetKGillMP: Cop27 is a vital opportunity for the world to support #Africa in facing the impact of climate change. But for that to hap… [Source]

• 02 Nov 2022: Tweet

  Britain should never be absent from the world stage when it comes to climate change – the biggest issue our planet faces. A welcome u-turn, but our PM shouldn’t have had to be shamed into action, he should be leading the way. https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1587746521457500160 [Source]

• 28 Oct 2022: Tweet

  RT @Keir_Starmer: My Labour government will show climate leadership. Britain showing up to work with world leaders is an opportunity to gr… [Source]

• 27 Oct 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: This is a massive failure of leadership We were the COP26 hosts and now the UK PM will be missing in action What Rishi S… [Source]

• 19 Oct 2022: Vote

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

• 6 Sep 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  Catastrophic scenes of flooding in Pakistan: 1,000 lost lives, 33 million people displaced and a third of the country under water. As we have heard today, the whole House has expressed its solidarity with the community, both there and here. In advance of COP27, will the Minister undertake to produce an urgent bilateral plan with Pakistan that looks at mitigation, loss and damage, and long-term plans to avoid this sort of climate catastrophe in future?

  Full debate: Pakistan: Flood Relief

• 06 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: The appalling floods in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people. The climate crisis is here and now. The @Con… [Source]

• 06 Sep 2022: Tweet

  The catastrophic flooding in Pakistan is a stark reminder of the challenges posed by climate change. As well as providing immediate support for the people of Pakistan, it is vital that the UK works nations like Pakistan to plan for the future to avoid further catastrophes ???????????????? https://x.com/CatherineWest1/status/1567127528262844416/video/1 [Source]

• 28 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @ianbremmer: 1,000 pakistanis dead over 10 million (!) displaced climate change causing extreme flood conditions https://t.co/Mg7ktH0… [Source]

• 26 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @DanielZeichner: The supply of CO2 matters given its extensive use in food production. Yet the Govt is sleepwalking into another suppl… [Source]

• 15 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Radical action on energy bills ✅ Insulate 19 million homes ???? Green energy sprint ☀️ Labour is the party of economic just… [Source]

• 06 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @MikeHudema: Saving whales is essential in the fight against the #climatecrisis. If they go they may take us with them. We're all in th… [Source]

• 04 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @RachelReevesMP: Low growth economies cannot rise to meet the challenges of the future. With our Climate Investment Pledge, New Deal fo… [Source]

• 15 Jul 2022: Tweet

  Climate change is deadly serious and we'll keep seeing temperatures reaching this high if we don't act. Shameful that some of the Tory leadership candidates are doubting the need for net-zero targets https://twitter.com/breeallegretti/status/1547870872169377793 [Source]

• 04 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @jreynoldsMP: Labour will re-energise our economy with good jobs and investment to meet our climate objectives We will create 30,000 j… [Source]

• 9 Feb 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  It is also a pleasure to hear from the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on air pollution, my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies), who has talked about his outstanding work in Swansea West and beyond, responding to the challenges presented by COP26 and calling for us to be a bit more ambitious and a bit braver on incinerators. This feels like old technology, and that is why I am pleased that Haringey was the only borough that voted to pause and review when it came to the vote on the bid for the scheme.

  When the plans were first signed off, when the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) was the Mayor of London, the solution might have been okay, but that was a long time ago and things have moved on. It feels as though the project has not had the COP26 test applied to it, and now would be a good time for the Government to look again and challenge whether there is more that can be done. In particular, with the introduction of the green bonds, this might be a good time to explain exactly how they work—there does not seem to be a proper explanation of that—and to see how the project could introduce some best practice around the green agenda.

  We are in a climate emergency, and our constituents want change. They want to recycle more and they want our polluted air to be cleaner. They are anxious that the size of the incinerator will mean there is an incentive to produce more waste in order to feed the associated district energy network. They are concerned about the environmental impact of incineration and the emissions that that process creates. They want 21st-century solutions to the management of waste that do not harm the health of residents or our environment.

  Full debate: Edmonton EcoPark: Proposed Expansion

• 13 Dec 2021: Vote

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

• 28 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Many hon. Members have mentioned the missed opportunity on climate ahead of COP26. We could have seen much more funding for basic measures: for example, we could have asked local authorities to retrofit homes and provide state-of-the-art new boilers. That could have provided the opportunity to train up the 180,000 workers we will need to install heat pumps. Our local authorities would have been grateful for the opportunity to do their bit; instead, they are still scrimping and saving, despite the small increase in local government funding. Much more could have been done.

  Full debate: Income Tax (Charge)

• 25 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  With Question 16 in mind, which we may not fit in today, may I ask what urgent action the Department will take, with COP26 around the corner, to ensure that local authorities have a proper grip on flood defences and the environmental issues that councils face day by day?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 14 Sep 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Thirdly, energy bills are about to go up. I am sure the Minister has done his own analysis of the fact that we did not have a windy summer, which meant that the renewables did not do as much as we had hoped. We will be reliant on gas and even coal, which we should not be given all our commitments in respect of COP26. For those reasons, we will see increases in our energy bills this winter.

  Full debate: Health and Social Care Levy Bill

• 7 Sep 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  6. What fiscal steps he is taking to help achieve the Government’s net zero emissions target. ( 903240 )

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions and Green Investment

  The recent cuts to the international aid budget have undermined the UK’s leadership in advance of COP26, so what urgent steps will the Treasury take to develop a carbon neutral programme of international aid going forward?

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions and Green Investment

• 6 Jul 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  What steps the Government are taking to achieve the net zero emissions target. ( 902276 )

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions Target

• 23 Jun 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Without a doubt, the Amazon rainforest is a vital bulwark in the international fight against climate change. It is apt that we are having this debate as the Government prepare to host the critically important conference of the parties climate summit in Glasgow later this year. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Amazon. It has long been considered a vital carbon sink, and the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) related that to his own experience of farming. Scientists estimate that the vegetation and trees making up the forest contain a staggering 76 billion tonnes of carbon. It is also home to a rich tapestry of wildlife and rivers. It was lovely that my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North West (Alex Sobel) and the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O’Hara) quoted the indigenous leaders, who have spoken with such heartfelt poignancy about their current position.

  As well as the very clear risks of climate change, we must be alive to the human dangers of ongoing and increasing deforestation. That has been so eloquently laid out by Members that I need not repeat it. In the past 18 months, we have become particularly attuned to the danger of pandemics, and there is a very real and clear risk, as my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North West said, that further deforestation may cause another deadly pandemic. Biologists and epidemiologists have been ringing the alarm about that for some time. Does the Minister believe that that is an effective use of some of the global health spend in her Department, which I know she is trying hard to protect? Does she think this might be a worthy subject to fund, in terms of global health priorities? This is a moment when we are all focused on the way that coming into close contact with the animal kingdom can lead to deadly viruses such as covid-19. It is a question that desperately needs further research. We have the intellectual firepower here in the UK; I hope that the Minister, as a great champion for universities and the link between global health, universities and foreign policy, will opine on that. The Amazon is thought to be home to 10% of known species on earth, so risk of another zoological pandemic originating from the region could not be starker.

  The UK is uniquely positioned to act. Many of us mentioned the global COP summit in Glasgow. What dialogue has the Minister had directly with the ambassador regarding the deforestation question? Did he suggest, as some Brazilian MPs suggested to me, that the Amazon grows back? Could she enlighten us about how that bilateral conversation is going, saying whatever she can say in public?

  Full debate: Deforestation in the Amazon

• 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

• 12 May 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  We all know that we have less than a decade to make the bold changes demanded by the UN’s climate body to limit temperature rises, but this Queen’s Speech is bereft of any programmes or resource allocation to implement the green jobs plan we need to meet the target. In fact, the Government completely scrapped their only green jobs scheme, the green homes grant, after it was outsourced to a private American firm which botched the roll-out. Ministers will trumpet the newly announced national infrastructure bank, which we have been calling for for a long time now, but the Office for Budget Responsibility has said that the new bank will provide less than half the funding we used to receive from the European Investment Bank and offer a fraction of the funding recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission to tackle the climate emergency.

  Full debate: Better Jobs and a Fair Deal at Work

• 13 Jan 2021: Vote

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

• 16 Nov 2020: Vote

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

• 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

• 9 Sep 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I think most of us agree that we are facing a triple whammy at the moment, with a public health crisis in the guise of covid, an economic crisis in which Brexit has already cost our economy billions of pounds, and climate change, which will eventually cost us a lot and is currently costing lives as well as other things that the Treasury may not be making a record of. That is certainly an expensive project as well. We are in a recession. We know that GDP fell by 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020—that is 20.4%, not 2.4%—which is the largest confirmed fall of any economy in Europe and the G7, so we are facing really tough times.

  Full debate: Protection of Jobs and Businesses

• 20 Jul 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  On environmental concerns, in leaving the European Union, we are leaving the gold standard of environmental protections, but it would be easy to write that protection in and lead on that in this Bill. Instead, the Bill is almost values free in terms of the importance of the environment. After covid, climate change and dealing with the climate emergency are probably the biggest concerns of our generation.

  Full debate: Trade Bill

• 1 Jul 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  This debate could not be more important. The Arctic is on fire; 2020 is on course to be the hottest year on record; and 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have been since 2000. There is such a thing as being too late. This is a pivotal moment, because the actions that we take over the next few weeks and months will either lock us into high-carbon dependency for decades to come, in which case we can say goodbye to any chance of avoiding the worst of climate catastrophe, or they will start to lay the foundations for a greener, safer, fairer future as we emerge from the peak of this pandemic. These decisions could not be more consequential and nor could the issue be more urgent.

  If we were to ask the millions of households in the UK suffering from hunger, food insecurity or fuel poverty whether our current growth-based economic model has delivered them prosperity, we would find that they would say that it has not. It has delivered rising inequality, insecurity, and environmental breakdown. What would change if we made the wellbeing of people and nature our primary economic goal? Some examples are obvious. Of course, we would have investment in things such as energy efficiency and retrofit, creating thousands of good jobs in every constituency, ending fuel poverty and getting emissions down—a real win, win, win. Despite Dominic Cummings apparently thinking this is all a bit boring, it is fundamental to that win-win of combining social and environmental justice. It would also mean more jobs in care, and the Women’s Budget Group shows how sensible that would be. Investing in care creates seven times as many jobs as the same investment in construction, for example, with 50% more recouped by the Treasury in tax revenues. Investment in care is also greener, producing 30% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than construction. A care-led recovery is also a green-led recovery. That is just one example of what new clause 34 is all about, and I hope the Government will agree and look upon it favourably.

  I wish to finish by saying a few words about the level of climate ambition. I am delighted to hear everybody, right across this House, talking about the importance of the climate crisis, but unless we get the ambition right, fine words will not get us where we need to be. As for where we need to be, organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Christian Aid, ActionAid and others have worked what our fair share of a climate reduction ought to be. If we look at how that compares with the Government’s 2050 net zero target, we will see a massive gulf. Those organisations have worked out that, based on our relative wealth and historical emissions, we should be getting to net zero by 2030—a full two decades earlier than the current target—and that we should be creating the equivalent of another 100% reduction of UK emissions overseas through climate finance to the global south. That is what we need to be aiming for.

  Full debate: Finance Bill

• 11 Mar 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  The third and final thing I want to talk about is the defining challenge of our time—that is what António Guterres has called the climate change challenge, and I could not agree more with the head of the UN’s description. The measures announced today do not go far enough—they are very timid—particularly when we think how frightening the climate change challenge really is.

  There are also some real mixed messages. Freezing fuel duty is a mixed message, and new roads are a mixed message, when Parliament has decided that climate change is an emergency. What is the message? Is it that this is an emergency, or is it that we can just keep building more roads and freezing fuel duty forever?

  There is a real missed opportunity in the Budget around the climate change agenda and the role of local government. If we give half of the money for the carbon capture experts to local government, they will insulate properties, prevent heat loss, ensure lower bills for millions of low-income people, introduce the proper cycle lanes the right hon. Member for Bournemouth East mentioned, and develop highly skilled green jobs in a micro way. A lot of the climate agenda and the climate challenge is very localised.

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions

• 05 Feb 2020: Vote

  Transport - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 13 Jan 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  Increasingly, climate change also presents insecurity on a global scale. This year, the UK could become a true leader on the climate crisis, with Glasgow hosting the COP26 climate summit in November—I hope it will be more conclusive than the Madrid meeting—following closely on Labour’s push for this House to become the first Parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency. It is a real pleasure to hear Members from across the House promoting the role that the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association play in developing that role for parliamentarians.

  Although the UK has a good policy platform at the level of UK missions abroad—for example, promoting measures to mitigate climate change—this priority could be at risk if a free trade agreement demands some other priority.

  On that point about climate change and international trade, the UK is hosting the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November this year. Is that not an opportunity to assert how climate change should be at the heart of our international trade policy?

  Full debate: Britain in the World

• 15 Oct 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I would like briefly to bring out a few themes of the debate. Many Members have raised the right to go out on the streets and to have freedom of assembly. Some have mentioned the protests in Hong Kong, which we would all like to be much more peaceful, but even on our own streets, we see the protests of Extinction Rebellion because we know that climate change should be much higher up the foreign policy agenda.

  Full debate: Britain's Place in the World

• 10 Jun 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  As I have pointed out to the hon. Lady in our previous exchanges, we never stint from making our concerns clear in relation to issues in Xinjiang in the north-west of the country or more general issues around human rights. We have a strong diplomatic relationship with China that involves working together in a productive way in a range of areas, including tackling money laundering, people trafficking and, increasingly, climate change. Building up that body of trust also involves being able to have robust conversations about human rights matters. At the highest possible level, when the Prime Minister spoke to President Xi and when I speak to my counterparts in Beijing and other cities, we do not stint from making clear particular concerns where there are concerns, either on consular matters or, indeed, more generally on human rights.

  Full debate: Hong Kong

• 1 May 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  May I first put on record the excellent work of the Hornsey and Wood Green climate emergency activists—they invited me to a meeting well in advance of Greta Thunberg’s visit and were ahead of the protesters—and the schoolchildren from schools in Hornsey and Wood Green who marched on London to demand change?

  Transport is the most emitting sector of the UK economy, responsible for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the figure increases to a staggering 40% if we include our share of international shipping and aviation. That is the one we can really do something about at the three levels of government. First, the Government must fund bus services—end of—and there is an election tomorrow where that will feature in big style.

  Finally, I want to put on the record the work being done on children’s asthma and respiratory health by Ella Kissi-Debrah’s mother, a constituent of my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Janet Daby). She has worked so hard to convince others of the importance of climate change and transport.

  Full debate: Environment and Climate Change

• 29 Jan 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I want to mention the good things that have happened in China as a result of the convention on the rights of the child, to show that issues can be tackled. A lot of work has been done in China on human trafficking, and good results have come from that. Action to tackle climate change and air quality, and the effects on children in polluted cities, has also borne some fruit. I do not want to give a counsel of complete despair. With challenge and dialogue, we can move forward.

  Full debate: Human Rights: Xinjiang

• 11 Jun 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  Finally, on the wider geopolitical picture, this weekend Mr Trump made a number of strange statements, including a questioning of NATO. The idea that America would leave NATO is rather strange, but his speeches, if read carefully, appear to suggest that. That puts a rather different shine on our relationship with Europe and I, for one, am much more concerned to hug Europe closer because of that. Some of Mr Trump’s values regarding not wanting to be part of the climate change process—

  I do not think it was Mrs May or any of us who said we did not want the US to be in NATO. Unless I am mistaken—perhaps I am reading different newspapers—it was Mr Trump who was putting into question his commitment to NATO over the weekend. It raises questions in the same way as when he wanted to walk away from the Paris climate agreement. He was able basically to decide not to be part of that when almost every scientist internationally accepts that climate change is our greatest scientific challenge. In addition, some of his statements about ethnic minorities and the Muslim community in particular are deeply worrying. I feel they add to the sense of xenophobia that we are seeing not only in this country, but internationally. Such statements corrode our sense of our values as western powers—our values of human rights and a commitment to peace, stability and doing things right.

  Full debate: Leaving the EU: Parliamentary Vote

• 20 Feb 2017: Parliamentary Speech

  I will comment briefly on the issues that we should be talking about: tackling international crime and terrorism, working together to address the mass movement of people around the globe and reinforcing international policies to combat climate change. Sadly, instead, we are falling into the trap of responding confrontationally to policy pronouncements made via Twitter. I hope we can right the ship again and get back to our more measured way of discussing, debating and taking a little more time to consider the importance of our foreign policy.

  Full debate: President Trump: State Visit

• 06 Sep 2016: Vote

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

• 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

• 1 Mar 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  At one time securing peace, strengthening human rights and protecting our citizens abroad were at the top of the FCO’s list of priorities, yet the recent state visit by China, for example, appears to illustrate the fact that the Foreign Secretary’s top priority for the FCO is mainly commercial. It was up to my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition to raise specifically the problem of the tariff arrangements which put UK steel at a trade disadvantage with China, human rights in China, climate change and the need to tackle enduring poverty. In recent months, the priority of international security in relation to the South China sea has come to the fore.

  Full debate: The FCO and the Spending Review 2015

• 2 Nov 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  The next issue is on the need for a multilateral response to climate change and environmental protection. It is welcome that clear efforts have been made to ensure environmental and social standards and the sustainability of the bank’s operation through the launch of a consultation process and the dossier subsequently produced, entitled “Environmental and Social Framework”, but concerns have been expressed that that policy-making process has occurred rapidly and narrowly. Rayyan Hassan, director of the non-governmental organisation Forum, based in Manila, commented that the bank’s environmental protection consultation wanted

  Full debate: Draft Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2015

• 26 Oct 2015: Vote

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

• 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

• 21 Jul 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  Clause 45, on the climate change levy, removes the levy exemption for renewable source electricity generated on or after 1 August 2015. Unhappily, that is an example of the Tories undermining investor confidence in renewable energy. They have already tried to halt the development of the cheapest form of clean energy, by pulling the plug on onshore wind, and that comes hot on the heels of the rather flat green deal. I am not sure whether any Members know about the green deal. It was introduced back in 2010, it was heralded and much money was spent on it. The promotion money probably helped a few public relations companies to keep going, but the number of households that took up the deal was very low.

  I wonder whether, as we move towards the Paris summit, we will see any improvement and any genuine debate, because this Budget fails to give any hope on the green agenda. I am pleased that Opposition colleagues have chosen the climate change levy as one of three topics to be debated in Committee in September. That is when we will all have more of a chance to debate this important deal—or lack of—and when we will table amendments.

  Full debate: Finance Bill