Jeff Smith MP: Climate Timeline

• Timeline
• Votes
• Speeches
• Tweets
• Contact

Jeff Smith's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Jeff Smith

• 14 Oct 2024: Tweet

  I hold regular meetings with local constituents to discuss climate change issues and the importance of building a strong and bold climate action plan. It was good to catch up again on Friday as part of the Friends of the Earth action weekend. https://x.com/JeffSmithetc/status/1845768385226797291/photo/1 [Source]

• 18 Jul 2024: Tweet

  Great to see the Government's priorities set out in the King's Speech. It includes measures to boost growth, transform workers' rights, tackle the housing crisis, accelerate the net zero transition, bring rail services into public control, and more. http://jeffsmithmp.com/2024/07/18/labour-governments-priorities-unveiled-in-first-kings-speech/ [Source]

• 24 May 2024: Parliamentary Speech

  I will start my brief remarks with a few words about my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead), who would ordinarily be speaking to this motion and is standing down at the election. I appreciate that “brief remarks” and “few words” are not phrases that we would usually associate with my hon. Friend, but there is a good reason for that. He is one of those parliamentarians who have a really deep knowledge of his subject and are completely across his brief. He has campaigned on these issues for many years in this place, and has played a vital role in informing Labour policy for the future. Whenever I met stakeholders during my brief tenure in the energy and net zero team, it was very clear that he was widely respected by everybody in energy and net zero, as well as across this House. We wish him all the very best for the future. Parliament will miss his expertise and his commitment to tackling climate change.

  Turning to the motion, we do not intend to object to this instrument, as the measures are generally consequential to elements of the Energy Act 2023, which we supported. The creation of a new body, ISOP, now the National Energy System Operator, is essential to managing and planning the expansion and operation of our energy system as we transition to net zero. Labour called for the creation of this body as a “system architect”. We have been encouraged by the early steps the current Electricity System Operator has made in preparing for its new role. We therefore agree that establishing its legislative basis fully is an urgent priority, and I am glad we have managed to address that in the wash-up.

  Full debate: Energy

• 11 Dec 2023: Tweet

  Delighted to see artwork from St John’s Primary selected to be a part of the ‘Creative for Climate’ exhibition in Parliament. The project encouraged pupils to submit climate-themed artwork – it’s great to see a strong understanding of the climate crisis amongst young people. https://twitter.com/JeffSmithetc/status/1734259403337941220/photo/1 [Source]

• 01 Dec 2023: Tweet

  Ahead of #COP28, the King’s Speech was an opportunity to set out a platform for a greener future. Instead, all we got was a damaging oil and gas licensing bill. We need Labour’s plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower and bring down household bills https://twitter.com/JeffSmithetc/status/1730632855573983546/video/1 [Source]

• 01 Dec 2023: Tweet

  RT @SkyNews: "I think that Sir Keir Starmer is there [COP28 Summit] to show that under a Labour govt, Britain will be back on the world sta… [Source]

• 13 Nov 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  Let me turn to probably the single most disappointing measure in the King’s Speech. With COP28 coming up, the speech was an opportunity to set out a platform for a greener future. The Government could have introduced measures to make it easier to build onshore windfarms, to sort out the electricity grid so that we can all be connected to clean energy, or to bring in a programme of energy efficiency and low-carbon heating. Those are all things that a Labour King’s Speech would have done. Instead, we got the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which will allow oil and gas companies to bid for new licences to drill for fossil fuels every year, riding roughshod over our net zero plans.

  It will not. There is not enough gas and oil in our offshore fields to make any difference to the prices set by the international markets. The Government themselves have already admitted that the Bill will not do anything to reduce energy bills, and it rubbishes our efforts to fight the climate crisis.

  Every respected body, from the International Energy Agency to the UN, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Climate Change Committee, has warned of the dangers of awarding new oil and gas licences. The Tories’ own former net zero tsar, the right hon. Member for Kingswood (Chris Skidmore), said:

  “There is no such thing as a new net zero oilfield.”

  A former Chair of the Climate Change Committee warned earlier this year that Government inaction on net zero

  Full debate: Building an NHS Fit for the Future

• 03 Nov 2023: Tweet

  An update on some of my work so far as Shadow Minister for Clean Power and Consumers in Labour’s Energy Security and Net Zero team: http://jeffsmithmp.com/2023/11/03/shadow-minister-for-clean-power-and-consumers-update/ [Source]

• 19 Oct 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  The contracts for difference scheme has been an important way of incentivising investment in renewable energy, and has played a key role in making renewable energy the cheapest form of electricity in the UK, and in supporting low-carbon electricity generation. We welcome clean power projects that have been delivered by the scheme and those that will start to generate power over the next couple of years. Labour’s aim is to deliver a cheaper zero-carbon electricity system by 2030: quadrupling offshore wind, aiming for 55 GW by 2030; expanding floating offshore wind, fast-tracking at least 5 GW of capacity; more than tripling solar power to 50 GW; and more than doubling our onshore wind capacity to 35 GW, in addition to ambitious plans for nuclear, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and long- term energy storage.

  “the budget and parameters set for this year’s CfD auction are currently too low and too tight…We’re calling for the Government to revise the CfD budget so that we can stay on track to deliver on our renewable energy targets, as well as creating tens of thousands of high-quality green tech jobs and attracting billions in private investment in the years ahead”.

  Labour’s plan for a clean-power energy system will cut bills for the long term, while making the most of the opportunities brought about by jobs in the supply chain. We want them to be good jobs, and we want them to stay in Britain. We will allocate a fund of up to £500 million for each of our first five years in government to provide capital grants to incentivise companies developing clean-power technologies to target their investment particularly at the areas that most need it, investing in UK jobs, skills and supply chains—a British jobs bonus so that, as we take on the climate crisis, we also build a fairer, more prosperous country.

  The British jobs bonus will be separate to the contracts for difference so that the fundamental structure, which has successfully made developers compete on costs, would stay the same. The Government have themselves recognised that, while the contracts for difference scheme has successfully driven down renewable energy deployment costs, which is to be welcomed, it has not supported supply-chain investment in the UK. That could jeopardise energy security and our ability to hit deployment targets, given growing global bottlenecks.

  It is essential for business and investor confidence that the move to annual CfD auctions does not create a boom-and-bust dynamic, so any suggestion that we can afford a missed year, and can just pick it up again in the next round, is complacency. We cannot afford for the transition to clean power to not be a success. We need that transition quickly to cut bills, boost our energy security, create good jobs and prosperity and tackle the climate crisis.

  Full debate: Contracts for Difference Scheme

• 18 Oct 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  I also enjoyed listening to the hon. Members for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman), for Southampton, Itchen (Royston Smith), for Waveney (Peter Aldous), for Cleethorpes (Martin Vickers) and for Moray (Douglas Ross), and it is always good to hear from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) about his commitment to net zero. It is clear that there has been a lot of consensus in the Chamber today. That demonstrates the strong consensus across the House about the importance of the green energy transition, and the good jobs and prosperity that it needs to create—and will create—up and down the country, particularly for port communities and other places with a strong industrial heritage, some of which have suffered economically in recent years, as the right hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire pointed out.

  Ports have a key role to play in helping to decarbonise energy generation, transport and industry. Their role as bases for the offshore wind industry and the skilled workforce that many of them have make them pivotal to the UK’s energy transition. Many ports are already playing that role with offshore wind and many more could unlock further power generation from floating offshore wind and—potentially—hydrogen.

  Full debate: Green Energy: Ports

• 21 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @SkyNews: "This is weak, wrong and he has really thrown industry under the bus." Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation @Lab… [Source]

• 20 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @realBenBloch: ???? BREAKING: Speaker Lindsay Hoyle blasts Sunak for failing to make his statement on net zero policies in Parliament. Spo… [Source]

• 20 Sep 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Rishi Sunak's panicked net zero speech is crumbling in the face of opposition from industry, the public, and his own MPs.… [Source]

• 07 Sep 2023: Tweet

  Pleased to be joining Labour’s energy security and net zero team. Looking forward to working with @Ed_Miliband to deliver Labour’s pledge for carbon free electricity by 2030 and pressing the government for action during the energy price crisis. http://jeffsmithmp.com/2023/09/07/jeff-smith-takes-on-new-role-in-labours-energy-security-and-net-zero-team/ [Source]

• 30 Jul 2023: Tweet

  The cost of living crisis can only be beaten by tackling the climate crisis | Ed Miliband | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/29/the-cost-of-living-crisis-can-only-be-beaten-by-tackling-the-climate-crisis [Source]

• 20 Jun 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  Like all sectors, there is a need to reduce carbon emissions as we transition to net zero. By their nature, heritage buildings are often old and inefficient. According to Historic England, improving the energy efficiency of historic properties could reduce emissions from the UK’s buildings by 5% a year and generate £35 billion for the economy, while making those buildings warmer and cheaper to run. Grosvenor’s recent research shows that retrofitting just half of pre-1919 homes in the next decade could lead to a saving of around £3.4 billion worth of CO 2 reductions by 2050. Keeping historic buildings in use—adapting instead of demolishing them—is one of the most impactful things that can be done to lower carbon emissions and reduce waste.

  These sites are vulnerable to risks beyond the climate crisis. During the pandemic, without a steady income stream from visitors and events, they immediately fell into difficulty, with repairs and maintenance projects cancelled. The backlog of repairs and maintenance projects will now cost around £2 billion. I would like to flag that work on historic buildings is currently subject to 20% VAT, but no VAT at all is charged on work on new buildings. Does the Minister agree that that creates a perverse incentive to pursue the most carbon intensive option, which is to demolish and rebuild rather than to repair?

  As my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith) said, our under-resourced and often painfully slow planning system does not help either. Trying to upgrade listed buildings or buildings in conservation areas with things such as solar panels, window efficiency works and heat pumps is difficult. Some 87% of respondents to a Historic Houses survey believed that the planning system was a block to their efforts to decarbonise the buildings in their care.

  Full debate: Heritage Sites: Sustainability

• 13 Jun 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  9. What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of sovereign debt in African countries on their resilience to climate change. ( 905345 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

  Every dollar spent by low-income countries on servicing unsustainable debt is a dollar not spent on providing basic services and tackling climate change. I know that the Minister wants to make a difference on this, but the status quo clearly is not working. Given that 90% of developing country debt contracts are governed by English law, why will the Government not agree even to consult on legislative opportunities to compel private creditors to take part in debt restructuring, to make them part of the solution, not the problem?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 23 May 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  Really? At COP26 the UK signed up to a pledge to eliminate inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, but now the windfall tax has a super deduction loophole worth £11 billion to oil and gas companies—a benefit enjoyed by no other industry. That money could pay to insulate 4 million homes or build renewable power for millions of homes. This will not reduce bills, and it will drive a coach and horses through our climate commitments. Is it not a terrible way to spend public money as well as breaking our climate obligations?

  Full debate: Oil and Gas Exploration: Subsidies

• 19 Apr 2023: Tweet

  The Tories are failing to tackle the climate emergency and their latest weak set of announcements on energy security won’t change that. I asked the Minister to do more to support British industry to transition to a low carbon economy. https://x.com/JeffSmithetc/status/1648697614349500417/video/1 [Source]

• 18 Apr 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  10. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the sixth assessment report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, published on 20 March 2023. ( 904479 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

  There are 23 clean steel projects across Europe, but none in the UK. Forty electric battery factories in Europe are planned to open by 2030, but only one is set for the UK. All the Government offered on their “green day” was weak re-announcements on carbon capture and storage and nuclear, and no new funding for decarbonising industry. British businesses are crying out for more support, so why are the Government failing in their duty to help industry to decarbonise?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 21 Mar 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  20. What fiscal steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the economy in reaching net-zero carbon emissions. ( 904227 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 1 Mar 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  3. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for renewable energy in Wales. ( 903771 )

  Full debate: Renewable Energy

  The best way to bring down bills for Welsh businesses long term is to help to transition away from fossil fuels. That is why Labour is calling for a national wealth fund, so we can help industries such as Welsh steel win the race in the future. What comparable steps will the Government take to help heavy industry decarbonise?

  Full debate: Renewable Energy

• 10 Dec 2022: Tweet

  RT @pppdidsbury: Want to know more about the climate emergency. Thinking about how you can reduce your carbon footprint in 2023? #didsbury… [Source]

• 8 Nov 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  I will conclude with an aside. In the week of COP27, we should probably note that cryptoassets are really bad for the environment. They require huge amounts of power and powerful computer calculations to verify the transactions. They are very carbon-intensive. Will the Government be clear with supporter bodies about at least the environmental impact of crypto technologies? I do not want to let COP27 week go by without mentioning the detrimental effect of crypto.

  Full debate: Cryptoasset Promotions in Sport

• 28 Oct 2022: Tweet

  RT @SkyNews: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says it's a "failure of leadership" if PM Rishi Sunak doesn't go to COP27 and use it as an oppo… [Source]

• 26 Oct 2022: Tweet

  RT @JeffSmithetc: After years of failure the Tory Government can’t be trusted on net zero and clean energy. We need to expand the quickest,… [Source]

• 26 Oct 2022: Tweet

  After years of failure the Tory Government can’t be trusted on net zero and clean energy. We need to expand the qui… https://t.co/DHOTbVbxwr [Source]

• 25 Oct 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  As a direct result of the Conservative Government’s decision to cut the “green crap” in 2015, every household’s bill is hundreds of pounds higher. Does the Minister regret that mistake, and is it not long past time to reform planning laws and to get on with building the quickest, cheapest, cleanest forms of power, such as onshore wind and solar, which would increase our energy security, cut bills and tackle the climate crisis—work that the Government have been blocking for far too long?

  Full debate: Onshore Wind Farms

• 19 Oct 2022: Vote

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

• 28 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @Keir_Starmer: Climate crisis. Prices through the roof. Energy security at a premium. There’s no higher priority for me than fixing… [Source]

• 15 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @UN: The climate crisis is a global challenge that affects every country on every continent. Urgent #ClimateAction must be taken at all… [Source]

• 01 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @jreynoldsMP: And if the premise is net zero policy raises the cost of capital for fossil fuel investments, then logically you accept it… [Source]

• 25 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @jreynoldsMP: The @uklabour plan for growth: ???? Public Investment - our Climate Investment Pledge ???? Reform - replacing business rates… [Source]

• 21 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Tory leadership rivals are running away from the UK's net zero pledge despite record breaking UK temperatures. Labour woul… [Source]

• 19 Jul 2022: Tweet

  This heatwave reminds us we need urgent progress to net zero. I attended Parliament’s Climate Solutions Fair and le… https://t.co/Yw7OqMmuH4 [Source]

• 17 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Tonight we learn that even the Tories don't trust the Tories to tackle the climate emergency. Alok Sharma is right: the C… [Source]

• 13 Jul 2022: Tweet

  This week I attended a climate change briefing from scientists including @uksciencechief. They delivered a stark se… https://t.co/mDNdDDVmEc [Source]

• 17 May 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  The climate crisis is urgent, but, as we have just heard, the Queen’s Speech sets out very little to address it. The draft energy security Bill will not address the short-term struggles with household bills or help improve energy efficiency, the most cost-effective way to reduce energy bills permanently. While sitting here waiting to speak, I received an email from my energy supplier telling me that my monthly direct debit payment is doubling. On my MP’s salary I can manage that—most people in this Chamber will be able to manage that—but so many of our constituents will not. They need our help, and they need it now.

  Full debate: Tackling Short-term and Long-term Cost of Living Increases

• 17 May 2022: Tweet

  RT @OldMoatLabour: Looking forward to our Climate Change Event for Children and Young people in Old Moat Park this Saturday, 21st May from… [Source]

• 14 Mar 2022: Tweet

  RT @JoMidge: All welcome at the Chorlton Park Climate Change Fair Tuesday 4.30-7pm at Chorlton Central Church. Pop in for a chat & to find… [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. Today I've be… [Source]

• 13 Dec 2021: Vote

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

• 09 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @GregStantonMCR: Want to discuss how @ManCityCouncil are working with #Didsbury residents and businesses to tackle the #ClimateEmergency… [Source]

• 03 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @corecities: As #cop26 begins in the great core city of Glasgow, #corecities chair Cllr Nick Forbes says that while nations can pledge,… [Source]

• 01 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: COP26 cannot be a roll call of pre-packaged announcements; it must be a real negotiaton based on the science. Here are t… [Source]

• 01 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Labour is serious about tackling the climate emergency. We would invest in: Electric vehicles Green spaces Warmer homes Job… [Source]

• 29 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @bphillipsonMP: Labour wanted a Budget for a brighter and better future. A plan for growth. A plan for the climate crisis. A plan for p… [Source]

• 27 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @chappersmk: So that's it confirmed. Air passenger duty for domestic flights cut in half. Absolutely shameful in a climate emergency. A… [Source]

• 27 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @georgeeaton: Cutting Air Passenger Duty a few days before the UK hosts Cop26 is so flagrant that it can only be the result of a dare. [Source]

• 21 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  I said in my maiden speech that the climate crisis was the most important issue we faced, and in the six years that have passed since then, it has got even more urgent each year. COP26 is the best chance we have of mitigating the damage and keeping the target of 1.5° alive, but as the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) said in her excellent opening speech, time is running out, for the people and the planet, but also for COP26 to be set up to succeed. In a week and a half, we will have to lead by example, to consolidate partnerships, and to crack down on the biggest polluters. We need ambitious updated nationally determined contributions. We need to honour and build on our commitments to climate finance for poorer countries, and we need strong action on biodiversity, fossil fuels and loss and damage. This is a big, big challenge.

  On the positive side, in terms of our setting an example, we have some ambitious national plans and there are encouraging words in the net zero strategy. The Government are good at setting targets, and their own climate advisers rated them nine out of 10, but they gave them “somewhere below” four out of 10 for their efforts to meet them. We need to lead by our actions. We need real green investment in the upcoming spending review. We know that it makes sense and we know that it saves money in the longer term as well as saving the planet. If we can find money for the covid emergency, we need to find money for the climate emergency. We have to reduce investment in fossil fuels, whether it is oil in the Cambo field and at Horse Hill, coal in Cumbria or gas in Mozambique. We also need stronger action on ending UK taxpayer support for overseas fossil fuel projects, without the exemptions.

  We also need funding for local government. We cannot deliver on the actions we need without local government action. The Climate Change Committee says that local authorities need proper funding to pursue successful plans such as retrofitting housing—where is the big retrofit programme that we need to decarbonise our homes?—building green homes, decarbonising local transport systems and improving waste and recycling infrastructure. On waste and recycling, I strongly agree with the hon. Lady’s comments on the cuts to the aid budget. One in three people globally do not have access to a waste management service and 90% of waste in lower-income countries ends up dumped or burned. The common practice of burning waste causes more emissions than aviation, so waste management systems need to be on the agenda at COP26. I asked about this in COP26 questions yesterday, but I did not really get an answer.

  Like the planet, I am running out of time, so I will leave the last words to Kevin Anderson, Manchester University’s professor of energy and climate change. He puts it very clearly:

  “Climate change is essentially a cumulative problem (C02 builds up). So each day we don’t deliver the level of C02 cuts for 1.5-2°C we go backwards—just not as big a retrograde step as it would otherwise have been, but backwards nonetheless.”

  Full debate: COP26: Limiting Global Temperature Rises

• 20 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  T3. A third of people globally do not have access to a waste management service, and 90% of waste in lower-income countries ends up being either dumped or burned and causing emissions. Can the President confirm that waste management will feature on the agenda at COP26, and what plans are there to allocate climate finance for this problem? ( 903723 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 20 Oct 2021: Tweet

  Interesting thread on the Net Zero Strategy https://t.co/7ksyNcLhOa [Source]

• 20 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @bphillipsonMP: Prices are rising and bills are soaring. Our planet faces a climate emergency. With our Climate Investment Pledge, Lab… [Source]

• 14 Oct 2021: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Today I set out how Boris Johnson and his government can make Cop26 in Glasgow the success it needs to be, even at this la… [Source]

• 29 Sep 2021: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: If we are serious about climate change we need to upgrade our homes. Labour will fit out every home that needs it to make su… [Source]

• 21 Sep 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  9. What steps he is taking in response to the Climate Change Committee’s 2021 annual progress report to Parliament. ( 903538 )

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

  Well, it needs to, because the report was pretty damning. The Environmental Audit Committee recently made a number of recommendations to support community energy projects such as Greater Manchester Community Renewables in my constituency. Will the Minister emphasise the importance of community energy in the upcoming net zero strategy, as recommended specifically by the Committee, and put in place some practical measures to harness the potential of community energy, including support to enable groups to get investment for energy transition projects?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 7 Sep 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  9. What fiscal steps he is taking to help achieve the Government’s net zero emissions target. ( 903243 )

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions and Green Investment

  The Minister must recognise that climate inaction is not just a disaster for the planet but has a huge financial cost and economic consequences. We cannot dodge the critical decisions that we need to decarbonise the economy any more. How exactly will the Government hardwire our net zero targets into every decision in the upcoming spending review?

  Full debate: Net Zero Emissions and Green Investment

• 12 Aug 2021: Tweet

  How does climate change impact you and your future as a young person? To help find out more, @CommonsIDC have laun… https://t.co/D0kGDh4Gbs [Source]

• 24 Jun 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  But the Minister knows that there has been a real threat to Eurostar’s survival, and British business leaders and the Chair of the Transport Committee have all called for our Government to be part of the solution. Eurostar is not just a vital service; it contributes to our net zero agenda. When we are in a climate crisis as well as a covid crisis, does the Minister think it is right that the Government should be giving billions in loans and guarantees to air travel and risk Eurostar going under?

  Full debate: Eurostar: Long-term Viability

• 07 Jun 2021: Vote

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

• 05 Jun 2021: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Today is #WorldEnvironmentDay. We can, and we must do more to protect our planet. Labour will tackle the climate emergency… [Source]

• 26 May 2021: Vote

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

• 22 Apr 2021: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: The #Bidensummit is a moment to celebrate once again the return of the United States to the fight against climate breakdow… [Source]

• 22 Apr 2021: Tweet

  RT @climateactiontr: #PresidentBiden's new #ParisAgreement target is the biggest US step forward on #climate in history; would close the 20… [Source]

• 31 Mar 2021: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: As the hosts of #COP26, the Government must provide the leadership necessary to put the world decisively on course to deli… [Source]

• 29 Mar 2021: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: We cannot let COP26 come and go as a photo op for Boris Johnson. It's the best chance we've got to deliver the change we n… [Source]

• 05 Mar 2021: Tweet

  New infrastructure bank won't help UK reach net zero, says Labour | Infrastructure | The Guardian https://t.co/IeRSGhv3C9 [Source]

• 09 Feb 2021: Tweet

  RT @JeffSmithetc: Today I urged the Business Secretary to lead by example ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit. The UK’s contribution to in… [Source]

• 09 Feb 2021: Tweet

  Today I urged the Business Secretary to lead by example ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit. The UK’s contribution… https://t.co/3y7cErXTMN [Source]

• 03 Feb 2021: Tweet

  The aviation sector and its employees urgently need support, but we can't ignore the bigger picture - climate chang… https://t.co/yr43Jafeee [Source]

• 13 Jan 2021: Vote

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

• 12 Dec 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: Announcing climate targets is easy; achieving them is the hard part. With the Govt way off track for net zero, we need a s… [Source]

• 26 Nov 2020: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: On this day 12 years ago, Labour took action to tackle the climate crisis. We need this Government to show some leadership… [Source]

• 25 Nov 2020: Tweet

  RT @patmcfaddenmp: Yesterday Labour tried to make the UK’s net zero commitments part of the remit of financial services regulators. The Co… [Source]

• 20 Nov 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: We have zero credibility if we do not lead by example. If they are remotely serious about tackling the climate emergency… [Source]

• 16 Nov 2020: Vote

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

• 10 Nov 2020: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: We need a Green Economic Recovery to: ✅ Create 400,000 new, clean jobs ✅ Tackle the climate emergency and the jobs crisis… [Source]

• 22 Oct 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I am pleased to hear it, but what are the results of those discussions? Aviation accounts for 8% of our UK emissions and international flights for 80% of that, so is it not time that the Government actually acted on the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change and included those emissions in carbon budgets, so that we can face up to our climate responsibilities?

  Full debate: Sixth Carbon Budget

• 20 Oct 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  More broadly, it is Greater Manchester’s ambition to secure more walking and cycling, which could be a positive legacy of lockdown—we have seen a lot more people walking and cycling. That could mitigate the bounce back to more reliance on car travel and encourage people to improve air quality for the long term. The combined authorities’ “Transport Strategy 2040” is focused on changing travel behaviour towards greener travel, aiming to reduce car use from 61% of trips in 2017 to no more than 50% of trips in 2040, although those will of course be largely in zero-emission vehicles.

  There is an important point here. I gave up my car about two years ago and I now mostly walk, cycle, use a bus or take the Metrolink in Manchester. I can do that because I live in a part of Manchester that has good transport links. We have the Metrolink and we have a very busy bus route 100 yards from my house. When I am in London, I cycle to Parliament along a well-designed and segregated cycle route. If we want to change behaviour, we have to invest in public transport and infrastructure, from cycle lanes to zero-emission vehicle charging. The money is there. ClientEarth has suggested that the £27 billion that is currently allocated to the road investment strategy could be repurposed. That is something that the Government could usefully look at.

  Full debate: Local Clean Air Targets

• 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

• 25 Aug 2020: Tweet

  Ahead of the UK hosting the UN climate summit in Glasgow next year, we urgently need a green economic recovery from… https://t.co/FHTjHL1QFL [Source]

• 03 Jul 2020: Tweet

  RT @wesstreeting: The UK isn’t going far enough or fast enough to achieve net zero. In my first interview I’ve called on the Chancellor to… [Source]

• 02 Jul 2020: Tweet

  RT @wesstreeting: The Government is failing to take the action needed to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. In the aftermath of this c… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: This week @theCCCuk detailed what every government department needs to do to lock in a resilient green recovery, drive dee… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: The success of COP26 will be determined by many factors, not least geopolitical headwinds, but as its host, UK leadership… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: In 16 months’ time, we host the crucial COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Those talks will be the first test of a key princ… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: Since then, we have drifted even further off course. In its annual progress report published on Thursday, @theCCCuk lament… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: Just two weeks after we legislated for #Netzero last year, the Government’s own climate advisors @theCCCuk warned: “UK act… [Source]

• 27 Jun 2020: Tweet

  RT @mtpennycook: 2050 is too late but we can still take pride in the fact we adopted a legally-binding #NetZero target. But setting a targe… [Source]

• 05 Feb 2020: Vote

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

• 4 Feb 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  What discussions have the Government had with the Australian Government about the link between the bushfires and climate change to make sure that the Australian Government get serious about tackling carbon emissions in their country?

  Full debate: Australian Bushfires

• 25 Jun 2019: Vote

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

• 1 May 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I last had the opportunity to speak about this issue in February, when we had our first debate on climate change in the main Chamber for two years. It was only a short Back-Bench debate on net zero emissions, and it remains disappointing that Back Benchers and the Labour party rather than the Government are instigating debates on this crucial issue. I spoke then about the devastating changes that I had seen in the Great Barrier Reef between my visits, the first 25 years ago and the second just a couple of years ago. I congratulated the organisers of the Glastonbury festival on their decision to ban plastic bottles—in passing, I encourage other festival organisers to do the same—and I talked about giving up my car and trying to rely on public transport and cycling.

  Given the limited time available, I will not repeat those remarks, but I am pleased to support Labour’s challenge to the Government to declare an environment and climate emergency. Such a declaration would convey the gravity of where we are with climate change. It would constitute a recognition that we are now left with a limited window of time in which to mitigate the worst of the damage that we have done—the Leader of the Opposition described the scale of the crisis comprehensively in his opening speech—and an invitation to other Governments to do the same. No other Government have declared a climate emergency, and doing so would make the UK a world leader, just as the last Labour Government led the world in passing the first binding climate change Act. It would also send a signal to the Extinction Rebellion protesters, the striking schoolchildren and the young people I speak to in schools in my constituency that we are listening and will act with urgency—for it is urgent action that we need.

  Acting in the context of a climate emergency means setting ambitious goals and achieving them with commitment and motivation. What is happening now in Manchester is a good example of the action that can be taken at local level by those who are serious about their green ambitions. Last year Manchester held its first green summit and launched the first city region-wide plan to eliminate single-use plastics. Just over a month ago it held a second summit, focusing on the five-year environment plan.

  Greater Manchester generates roughly 3.6% of our total UK carbon dioxide emissions, and we have acknowledged our responsibility to make our contribution to meeting targets. Ours is a cross-cutting approach that recognises and demonstrates the range of actions that we need to take. Manchester has looked into how to reduce CO 2 emissions and improve air quality as part of its transport plan. There are plans for new building developments to be zero carbon by 2028 and for existing housing to be retrofitted to increase efficiency, which is a big economic opportunity, and extensive plans to create clean air zones and tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances. That is all part of our aim to make Manchester a carbon-neutral city by 2038, which is a suitably ambitious goal for the city that started the first industrial revolution and needs to be a leader in the next—the green industrial revolution.

  I do not have enough time, but I would love to be able to say more about the importance of climate change as a social justice issue. It disproportionately affects the most marginalised members of society—it is often the poorest families who live in urban areas with high levels of pollution—but the biggest injustice of all is the fact that poorer countries that have contributed less to global warming are being disproportionately hit by its effects. The lives of people living in the global south are already being torn apart because of the actions that we have taken in the past. The United Kingdom has a moral obligation to set and reach ambitious carbon emissions targets, not just for the sake of our people’s health and environment, but to offset our global contribution. As a wealthy nation, we must also offer financial support for climate mitigation and adaptation efforts by countries in the global south that are affected by extreme weather events.

  I regularly visit local schools, and, overwhelmingly, young people want to raise two issues: climate change and plastic pollution. When I speak to those young people, I say that we must all accept our responsibility to play our part, whether by eating less meat, reducing the number of car and plane journeys or avoiding single-use plastics. However, we must also match that individual ambition with legislation. We must tackle this issue as a nation. We urgently need legislation to update the Climate Change Act.

  There are many other actions that we need to take, which have been outlined by other Members. As we heard from my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband), we have a massive opportunity. Let us declare an environment and climate emergency today, and let that declaration be a spur for those actions.

  Full debate: Environment and Climate Change

• 28 Feb 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Chichester (Gillian Keegan). Earlier this month I attended a question and answer session at Green End Primary School in Burnage in my constituency. One of the young people said, “What do you talk about in Parliament, and what do you wish you talked about?” I said, “Well, we talk about Brexit, endlessly, but I wish we talked about climate change.” That is why I welcome today’s debate and the opportunity to make a brief contribution.

  On my regular school visits, the two issues regularly brought up by young people are plastic pollution and climate change. It is heartening that they are engaged and want to make a difference, but we cannot afford to wait for those 10-year-olds to get into positions of influence before we see faster action. For relatively prosperous inhabitants of a windy, rainy island, we are not taking fast enough action.

  Climate change is already having a catastrophic effect on biodiversity and the environment. Two years ago I visited Australia and went to see the barrier reef. That was my second visit because I went previously about 25 years ago. What I saw shocked me because, even though it was a long time since my first visit, I vividly remembered the colours and life on the reef; it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I went back to the same part of the reef on the same boat. It was bleached and looked as though the life had been drained from it. It brought it home to me that the environmental emergency is already happening. We urgently need to listen to the warnings of the scientists and the environmental experts who are trying to alert us to the danger.

  With the Committee on Climate Change recommending a review of the 2050 target, the time to act more quickly is now, and a first step would be for the Government to commit to a target date for net zero emissions. As a prosperous country, we are committed under the UN climate convention to be more ambitious than developing nations, and we need to lead by example. Greater Manchester Combined Authority is a good example. We need change in all sorts of areas—energy production, transport, green infrastructure, housing—and the authority has just published a draft plan for homes and the environment. A key aim is that all new buildings and other infrastructure be net zero carbon by 2028. It is an important step towards its pledge to become a carbon neutral area by 2038, which I welcome.

  Full debate: Net Zero Carbon Emissions: UK’s Progress

• 24 Jan 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  4. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Government funding for the renewable energy sector in Scotland. ( 903401 )

  Full debate: Renewable Energy Sector

• 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

• 24 Mar 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  At the last Energy and Climate Change Question Time, my hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner) asked the Minister about the planned rise in VAT on solar, and she told us that the Government had “no choice” but to implement the European Court’s decision. On Monday, when the Financial Secretary was filling in for the Chancellor, he told us that they had decided not to go ahead weeks ago. Did she inadvertently mislead the House, or was she not kept informed by her colleagues in No. 10—I mean No. 11?

  Full debate: Oral Answers to Questions

• 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

• 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

• 8 Jun 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  After 18 years in Manchester town hall, I had spent a long time in a huge neo-Gothic Victorian building full of politicians, so this year I thought I would do something new. In coming to the House of Commons, I hope to work hard to represent the people of Manchester, Withington, but I hope to fight for wider progressive causes; to combat climate change, the biggest challenge of our time; to tackle the housing crisis that affects so many people in my constituency; to argue for reform of our discredited and ineffective drug laws, and maybe even our discredited and ineffective Prime Minister’s Question Time; to fight poverty and defend human rights in this United Kingdom and abroad; and to create a better country—not one where we balance the books at the expense of the most vulnerable, but one where we build a more equal, more tolerant, more compassionate society.

  Full debate: Scotland Bill