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Seema Malhotra's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Seema Malhotra

• 23 Jun 2026: Parliamentary Speech

  There is a very strong interest in this House in how we tackle climate change and protect nature, and in how we work with partners around the world to do so. With Indonesia, the core of our partnership is focused on climate, nature and energy co-operation. It is also important to say up front that Indonesia is pivotal to global outcomes on climate and nature for the reasons that we have heard today, including the scale of its rainforests and biodiversity. Indeed, its actions on energy, forests and oceans will help to tackle similar challenges across the world.

  As a G20 economy and a leading voice in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesia has influence well beyond its region. Its economy has long depended on sectors such as coal and palm oil, and like many countries it faces difficult choices as it seeks to balance growth with environmental protection. At the same time, Indonesia has committed to reducing emissions and is taking steps on forest protection, clean energy and climate finance. This Government are clear that global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss can be tackled only through partnership, because no country can do this alone.

  Threats to Indonesia’s maritime environments include pollution; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices; and warming waters linked to climate change. The UK and Indonesia continue to work closely with each other through the Blue Planet fund country plan. We are proud to partner with Indonesia through that fund and the maritime partnership programme. A number of hon. Members referred to the maritime challenges, and it is important to keep that focus in our debate.

  We are now taking that important ambition forward in practical ways. For example, we are supporting efforts to protect forests and tackle deforestation, including in supply chains such as palm oil. We are backing Indonesia’s energy transition, including through a just energy transition partnership. We are committed to providing a guarantee to unlock $1 billion of additional climate finance from the World Bank to support the energy transition. That is important because we know that Indonesia has to fill a significant climate finance gap to meet its mitigations and adaptation goals.

  Full debate: Environmental Sustainability: UK-Indonesia Collaboration

• 04 Mar 2026: Tweet

  ASEAN has upheld peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for decades. The UK is proud to mark five years as a Dialogue Partner.   Together we have worked to strengthen cooperation on security, promote growth and education and tackle climate change. And our work together goes on. https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/2029191487141863488/photo/1 [Source]

• 23 Jan 2026: Tweet

  Delighted to welcome Minister Dato Amin Liew to London following our meeting in Brunei last year. Our discussion centred on deepening UK-Brunei cooperation on net zero, cleaner energy and sustainable growth. https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/2014704557478011270/photo/1 [Source]

• 18 Nov 2025: Parliamentary Speech

  Climate threats were mentioned a couple of times. DCMS and the UK national commission for UNESCO recently finished a pilot project to look at data and decision making in relation to climate change at UNESCO heritage sites. The learnings, the tools and the templates will be made available free of charge later this year.

  Full debate: UNESCO: 80th Anniversary

• 17 Nov 2025: Tweet

  COP30 in Brazil is a big opportunity for the world to come together, to take action on climate change and make progress on the transition towards clean energy. Co-operation and commitment to climate action is vital. Read my @HounslowHerald article. https://hounslowherald.com/feltham-and-heston-mp-on-the-fight-for-global-climate-action-p29619-95.htm [Source]

• 07 Nov 2025: Tweet

  RT @Keir_Starmer: I’m championing the interests of British people at COP30. Here, I’ll set out the economic opportunities of net zero: del… [Source]

• 20 Oct 2025: Tweet

  Two-thirds of our planet’s ocean lies beyond the jurisdiction of any state. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement will protect these precious waters from the effects of climate change – safeguarding a key source of food and oxygen to deliver security for the UK. [Source]

• 16 Oct 2025: Parliamentary Speech

  Let me start by reminding the House why this Bill and the BBNJ agreement matter. The BBNJ agreement is a huge step towards protecting our shared ocean. It will enable greater conservation of the two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond national jurisdictions and will support the delivery of the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework, which includes the target to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Environmental degradation could lead to huge economic costs globally, making ocean conservation a long-term economic imperative, too. The agreement supports the UK’s wider climate and nature agenda, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of global efforts to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change through multilateral co-operation. It also strengthens the role of international law and multilateral institutions, and reinforces the UN convention on the law of the sea as the foundation for global governance.

  Full debate: Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill

• 06 Oct 2025: Tweet

  Kicked off my visit to Southeast Asia by launching a new collaboration with Malaysia on climate adaptation, demonstrating tangible UK support for their COP30 ambitions. Our Strategic Partnership is delivering real results on the issues that matter🇬🇧🇲🇾 https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1975241555717087466/photo/1 [Source]

• 21 Mar 2025: Tweet

  RT @bphillipsonMP: Labour is driving progress on renewable energy, pushing down bills with clean power. Together with @Ed_Miliband, we’re… [Source]

• 09 Nov 2024: Tweet

  Thankyou @mgshanks for joining us to discuss @UKLabour plans for green energy and to @CranfordAcad_UK and @BerkeleyAcad_UK for the work you are doing to support action for change in how we think and act more sustainably as institutions and as communities. https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1855168131842400326/photo/1 [Source]

• 08 Nov 2024: Tweet

  So pleased to host @CranfordAcad_UK and @BerkeleyAcad_UK staff in Parliament for a Q&A with Energy Minister @mgshanks on the Government’s mission to achieve net zero. The schools are currently hosting a five-day conference on climate change and the environment. I am proud to support the innovative work they do with our young people and community to address local and global challenges. [Source]

• 01 Jul 2024: Tweet

  RT @rushanaraali: I have fought for action on climate change both here in the UK and in countries most affected by the climate crisis. Un… [Source]

• 02 Dec 2023: Tweet

  RT @DavidLammy: Excellent to be at #COP28 with @Keir_Starmer and @Ed_Miliband. The @Conservatives have damaged Britain’s reputation on th… [Source]

• 20 Nov 2023: Tweet

  RT @KiMcGuinness: The transition to green energy is our biggest opportunity in the North East, but we need to rethink how we up-skill peopl… [Source]

• 20 Nov 2023: Tweet

  Labour’s plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower will create tens of thousands of good green jobs. Last week I visited @GUH_News and 3t Energy Training Centre to discuss renewable energy skills with employers, training providers, local leaders and unions. https://twitter.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1726614814854938787/photo/1 [Source]

• 09 Oct 2023: Tweet

  RT @TotalPolitics: 'We have to look at the transition to being a green energy super power and how we build a skills infrastructure to suppo… [Source]

• 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 @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]

• 20 Sep 2023: Tweet

  Spot on from @RachelReevesMP. Labour will tackle the climate emergency head on to cut bills, create good jobs and deliver higher living standards. https://twitter.com/RachelReevesMP/status/1704463082389422487 [Source]

• 08 Sep 2023: Tweet

  It was great to see the steps being taken by Evri to decarbonise their operations and invest in new technology, and to discuss their apprenticeships programme. [Source]

• 08 Sep 2023: Tweet

  It was great to see the steps being taken by EVRI to decarbonise their operations and invest in new technology, and to discuss their apprenticeships programme. [Source]

• 30 Jul 2023: Tweet

  Excellent from @Ed_Miliband on how the cost of living crisis and climate crisis are connected and Labour's ambitious plan to tackle the twin crises - delivering lower bills, good jobs, energy security and climate leadership. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/29/the-cost-of-living-crisis-can-only-be-beaten-by-tackling-the-climate-crisis [Source]

• 29 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]

• 29 Jun 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  This is a newer area, and as we move towards achieving our net zero targets it is going to become increasingly important to how the marketplace is defined. It is important to know and be ahead of where consumers might be being misled. Some of the work in the run-up to COP26 and since has been welcome, but we cannot take our foot off the accelerator.

  Full debate: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (Eleventh sitting)

• 19 Jun 2023: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: ⬇️ Lower bills 👷‍♀️ More jobs 🤝 Energy security 🌳 Climate leadership This is Labour's mission- to make Britain a clean e… [Source]

• 13 Jun 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  Touching briefly on greenwashing in particular, we acknowledge that existing regulators have powers to tackle that and that there are existing programmes of both education and enforcement. However, greenwashing claims are hugely prevalent and there is a lot of work to be done. It is an issue that, for us, has real risks associated with the net zero transition, because we are going to get consumers to make quite different choices around what they eat, what clothes they buy, how they heat their houses and what vehicles they drive. Some of those are quite big-ticket items in terms of cost, so there is a real risk for consumers and a real need for them to be able to trust the information they are given, which links back to the points my colleague Noyona was making about consumer confidence.

  Full debate: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (Second sitting)

• 18 Apr 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  8. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of lead times for connecting renewable energy projects to the grid.

  Full debate: Renewable Energy Projects: Connection to the Grid

  It is a disgrace that while energy prices rocket, huge delays to grid connections are holding back the supply of renewable energy to UK homes and businesses. Wind farms coming online today were approved when Gordon Brown was in power. Even now, energy companies are having to wait for 13 years, until 2036, for connections for some projects. How on earth did it get this bad? Is it not true that the Tories have taken their eye off the ball on the National Grid, and it is now costing British families and businesses dear?

  Full debate: Renewable Energy Projects: Connection to the Grid

• 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]

• 15 Mar 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  We know that it is the Government working in partnership with industry that will help British businesses to thrive, grow and invest if we are ever to achieve any of our goals, whether they are making all parts of the country better off or getting on track for net zero. The investment that businesses undertake to develop products and services, increase productivity, and create jobs is the most crucial ingredient.

  There has not been nearly enough of such policies. Last September, over 200 leading businesses and financial institutions wrote to the then Prime Minister, saying that they were committed to protecting and restoring nature and delivering a net zero economy in support of the UK’s targets, with delivery mechanisms strengthened across the whole of Government. However, the steps announced today are yet again a poor imitation of where Labour has been, and it has taken the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to say:

  When I recently asked the Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, what programmes were available for SMEs looking to transition to net zero, he cited the boiler upgrade programme. However, the scheme’s own impact assessment says that the impact of the scheme for small businesses is “negligible”. The latest data released from the scheme shows that 0.4% of all installations in the scheme have been for SMEs. So the evidence is clear: the Government are simply not serious about helping SMEs transition to net zero or about supporting them at all.

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

• 24 Feb 2023: Parliamentary Speech

  We are in a race against time to improve our energy stability and security for the sake of our businesses and the planet. That is why the Opposition have been setting out our plans, and right hon. and hon. Members will have heard the Leader of the Opposition make a speech yesterday. We believe that we need to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. That is relevant to the subject of this Bill, because we should be in no doubt that achieving the urgent mission to have clean power requires us to have a revolution in green energy technologies, to establish storage capacity, to manage peaks in energy demand, to develop new ways of balancing the grid, and to deliver comprehensive improvements to our energy infrastructure in order to expand the grid to new sources of energy.

  As a result, we are not fully convinced that this legislation is necessary, or that, if implemented in a particular way, it would not hinder the Government’s own express mission to expand the electricity infrastructure to enable greater use of low-carbon technologies. I would be grateful if the Minister commented on that. At a time of crisis in our energy supply and in tackling climate change, I am sure that balancing all these considerations will be at the top of his mind as well.

  In conclusion, while the Bill clearly has positive intentions, I must question whether it is necessary to bring it forward in the way that is currently intended. None the less, the work of the taskforce will be important. It does not need me to say this, but the Government have failed on a multitude of fronts to get to grips with energy security and in tackling the climate crisis. I do hope that there will be ways that we can move forward in the interests of our nation to look at the speed of how we decarbonise our economy, and of how we ensure that we realise the opportunities and ambitions of the nation in going green. I finish by urging the Minister to follow Labour’s lead and to match our ambitions to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030 and secure our energy security once and for all.

  Full debate: Electricity Transmission (Compensation) Bill

• 7 Dec 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  They do not come anywhere near to making up for 12 years of local authority underfunding, let alone a strategy for regenerating our high streets and supporting businesses to achieve net zero.

  Full debate: Employment and the High Street

• 24 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @darrenpjones: High carbon emitting and fossil fuel based companies need to be investing in low carbon and renewable energy as much as p… [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]

• 14 Nov 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  Finally, I note that we have no idea what the Government’s overall plan for business support and industrial strategy is. The 2019 Conservative manifesto was full of promises and ambitions, but nearly three years later what do they have to show for it? The Industrial Strategy Council has been disbanded. There has been a succession of Secretaries of State, most of whom have fallen out of favour. There is still no sign of the Government living up to their rhetoric on levelling up or any sign of the investment we need to put us on track for net zero.

  Full debate: Draft Subsidy Control (Subsidies and Schemes of Interest or Particular Interest) Regulations 2022

• 10 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @UN: While leaders are gathering at #COP27 to tackle the climate crisis, we can all #ActNow for our planet & our future. Chat with us o… [Source]

• 06 Nov 2022: Tweet

  RT @UNGeneva: #COP27 starts tomorrow and the stakes have never been higher. The aim is to renew solidarity between countries, and to deliv… [Source]

• 19 Oct 2022: Vote

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

• 14 Oct 2022: Tweet

  RT @UKLabour: Businesses like @vaillantuk are taking renewable energy seriously, providing local, green jobs. This would be central to Lab… [Source]

• 28 Sep 2022: Tweet

  RT @PoliticalQuaker: Consensus that cost-of-living crisis is best tackled by action on climate change - at @SMFthinktank & @ScottishPower e… [Source]

• 7 Sep 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak in this important debate about these very significant issues of structural reform in our financial services, the accountability of our regulatory bodies and consumer protection. I am pleased that we have started to have some debate on the net zero policy and regulatory principle, and I want to endorse all the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) in her important opening speech on green finance. Unfortunately, the Bill does fall short of what I believe is needed to protect consumers, and I want to speak about three key areas: first, access to cash; secondly, and briefly, mutuals and co-operatives; and thirdly, action for mortgage prisoners.

  Full debate: Financial Services and Markets Bill

• 20 Aug 2022: Tweet

  RT @ValaAfshar: This traditional Bangladesh farming method could help beat climate change. https://t.co/sTMoBvxfQf https://t.co/EeeWLmxE3a [Source]

• 25 Jul 2022: Tweet

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

• 23 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @LBofHounslow: As part of our commitment to tackle climate change we’ve produced a draft strategy for electric vehicles. 🔌We're committ… [Source]

• 13 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @jreynoldsMP: Net zero = skilled jobs, energy security, prosperity [Source]

• 13 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: Away from some of the absurd, illiterate nonsense being spouted in the Tory leadership contest, net zero is the right and… [Source]

• 03 Jul 2022: Tweet

  RT @jreynoldsMP: Labour’s plans will bring down bills, create jobs and help achieve net zero A Labour government will re-energise Britain’… [Source]

• 03 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]

• 20 Jun 2022: Tweet

  RT @LBofHounslow: Are you a community group in #Hounslow looking for ways to take action on climate change & become more energy efficient?… [Source]

• 05 Jun 2022: Tweet

  To celebrate World Environment Day today, here is a throwback of some of my photos from my visit to #COP26 last year.   #WorldEnvironmentDay #OnlyOneEarth https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1533475400537493504/photo/1 [Source]

• 01 Jun 2022: Tweet

  RT @SKinnock: Governments across Europe are partnering with their steel industries to decarbonise - there are 23 hydrogen-based steel proje… [Source]

• 20 Apr 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  I turn briefly to areas in which we would have liked the Government go further, and I would be grateful for the Minister’s comments on these issues. The first is net zero. Labour has been clear that while this is framework legislation, it should not be an empty vessel. The Government should have used the opportunity of an independent subsidy policy to design a regime that supported their wider industrial policy and our national priorities. We were also disappointed that the Subsidy Control Bill was not published alongside a subsidy strategy. Net zero is a good example of this. The climate crisis is the greatest long-term threat facing our country and the world, and we need urgent action to drive down emissions. That is why, in Committee, we called on the Government to support our amendment to hardwire net zero into the principles that public authorities have to consider when awarding any subsidy or designing any scheme. There was cross-party and cross-Bench support in the other place for a similar amendment.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill

• 20 Apr 2022: Tweet

  RT @AlexanderPHRose: @SeemaMalhotra1 The Subsidy Control Bill could have contributed to tackling climate change. Sadly the Government chos… [Source]

• 20 Apr 2022: Tweet

  Throughout the Bill’s progress, @UKLabour called for the Govt to hardwire net zero into the principles authorities consider when awarding subsidies or designing schemes. In rejecting this, the Govt missed an opportunity to use subsidy policy to achieve their net zero targets 2/4 [Source]

• 29 Mar 2022: Tweet

  Great to join the @DodsGroup #BeyondCOP26 roundtable today to discuss the economy and @UKLabour's climate investment pledge. We need a long term green industrial plan to deliver on our climate goals. Without one Britain is already falling behind. [Source]

• 10 Mar 2022: Tweet

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

• 19 Feb 2022: Tweet

  RT @SKinnock: Britain needs a modern manufacturing renaissance with a strong steel industry at its heart, tackling the climate crisis whils… [Source]

• 08 Feb 2022: Tweet

  Are you passionate about environmental issues and tackling climate change? Hounslow Council is looking for people from all walks of life to join our local borough’s Community Reference Groups. Let's make Hounslow a cleaner, greener and healthier place for generations to come. https://twitter.com/LBofHounslow/status/1490732350698934279 [Source]

• 24 Jan 2022: Tweet

  RT @LBofHounslow: ICYMI: Find out how an idea to raise awareness about #climatechange has turned into #Hounslow’s own virtual forest of 500… [Source]

• 19 Jan 2022: Tweet

  RT @Ed_Miliband: The energy crisis is not a result of moving too fast on green energy but too slowly. To keep 1.5 alive and provide energy… [Source]

• 11 Jan 2022: Parliamentary Speech

  Covid is not over, however, and businesses need clarity on how to plan for the future. We believe in a strong private sector where investors and entrepreneurs are rewarded fairly. We believe in an economy where companies are good corporate citizens, sharing wealth, engaging communities, paying their fair share of tax and treating their employees with dignity and respect; in a national economy that is anchored in every part of the UK, every region and nation, with no locations left behind; in prosperity that is shared evenly, bringing security, dignity and respect to families across our country; and, most of all, in an economy that moves smoothly towards a low-carbon economy, with a plan for how businesses move to net zero and, as part of that journey, our businesses doing well as they do good.

  Full debate: Reducing Costs for Businesses

• 05 Jan 2022: Tweet

  RT @Keir_Starmer: Tyseley Energy Park hydrogen-fuelled vehicles help tackle the climate crisis. We need a Government who will share their… [Source]

• 27 Dec 2021: Tweet

  RT @nesta_uk: What are the big ideas for decarbonising homes? We asked experts to tell us how they think we should speed up the transition… [Source]

• 20 Dec 2021: Tweet

  RT @katherinedunne: @SeemaMalhotra1 @Cllrsamiach @HanifKhan_1 @bishnug58 @COP26 @SmallBizSatUK @radiojackie @EasternEye Thanks Seema. Great… [Source]

• 13 Dec 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  It is a pleasure to speak to our amendments—new clause 3, on post-award referrals, and amendments 15 to 27. I will also speak in support of similar and, in some cases, identical amendments to those tabled by Labour in Committee, which I was pleased to see have been influential in colleagues’ consideration of the Bill. I refer in particular to amendments 1 to 8, which were tabled by the hon. Members for Weston-super-Mare and for Thirsk and Malton, and amendments 10 and 12, which were tabled by the hon. Member for Aberdeen North. There are only slight differences from our position in Committee, and I am sure that today’s debate will also help consideration of the Bill in the other place. Amendments 13 and 14 are similar to amendments 2 and 7, and are consistent with our significant concerns on transparency and accountability, which we raised in Committee. New clause 2, tabled by the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney), is also consistent with the position on net zero leadership that we set out on Second Reading and in Committee. We are not actively supporting two amendments—we are more neutral on them: amendment 11, which has similar intentions and principles but is slightly weaker than our amendment 16 and which runs the risk of being unclear for local authorities to implement; and amendment 9, where we understand the intention to broaden what the Competition and Markets Authority reports on. However, arguably it would not have the information on all subsidies, as most would not be notified to it, so this provision could be impractical and create a significant burden. However, in Committee we also provided suggestions on how the CMA’s annual report could be strengthened and what areas it could report on. We had a considerable debate on that, including in respect of the CMA reporting on where it had identified non-compliance with the principles and examining the geographical spread of subsidies that had been notified to it.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill

  I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. We have agreed with many of his amendments. What he has just said actually lends even greater weight to wanting to make sure that that is a consideration and that we have the resources to support that. Perhaps he will talk to those on his own Treasury Bench about this, because we would have hoped that by now there would be a clearer road map for how the country is supposed to move forward to achieving our net zero commitments. He will know as well as I do that many small businesses have been crying out for a road map to net zero to know what can make the most difference, how to assess it and how to look at whether they have a decarbonisation strategy that is fit for purpose. So I think he is lending weight to our argument that we need something in the legislation to help drive the processes behind that. People want answers and want to know they are doing the right thing and making the right investments on our road map to net zero.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill

• 13 Dec 2021: Vote

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

• 08 Dec 2021: Tweet

  RT @AsianVoiceNews: #COP26 : School children across the world have become conscious and a driving force for change. @SeemaMalhotra1 writes… [Source]

• 22 Nov 2021: Tweet

  It’s time for the Government to come forward with a roadmap to net zero to help small businesses transition. Labour’s £28bn Climate Investment Pledge will help bring the long term investment for the green economy of the future. [Source]

• 22 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Excited to see net zero initiatives at @SmallBizSatUK today, including a net zero coffee by @perkyblenders. Many small businesses want to play their part in tackling the climate crisis, but aren’t clear on what steps they should take. https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1462777229855928333/photo/1 [Source]

• 18 Nov 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  We broadly support clause 91, which sets out which parts of the Bill will come into effect and when. We recognise the need to establish when and how various parts of the Bill will come into force. However, at the same time, we want to ensure that this important new regime is not implemented unnecessarily slowly, because the implementation of legislation can sometimes get delayed when it is not at the forefront of Parliament’s attention. The Bill is fundamental to supporting the levelling-up agenda, which is of great concern to us all, and net zero implementation. That is still a disappointment—I am sure we will come back to the need for net zero to be more explicit in the principles. It is important that we move forward as quickly as possible to ensure certainty in the subsidy control regime, and that we support research and investment. All of those measures are necessary. In this low-growth environment, it is important to get investment, and the necessary incentives for it, as soon as possible.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Eleventh sitting)

• 16 Nov 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Will the Secretary of State tell us today whether he will back Labour’s plan for a £3 billion steel renewal fund to achieve near-zero-emissions steel production by 2035 to secure UK steel’s future? If not, why is he so content to see British industries lose out, more British businesses go under and more British jobs lost?

  Full debate: Clean Steel Fund

• 15 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @Jamiecrummie: Great to meet you @SeemaMalhotra1 and look forward to continuing our conversations on food waste #COP26 https://t.co/mwX6… [Source]

• 13 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @RachelReevesMP: "COP26 shows there are many businesses who want to take action on climate now. "Government must now step up to meet t… [Source]

• 12 Nov 2021: Tweet

  SMEs are urgently calling for a clear roadmap from the Govt with steps they should take to transition to net zero. A long-term plan will give businesses the certainty they need to invest, and the growth our economy needs. My piece on @LabourList today https://labourlist.org/2021/11/ministers-should-set-out-a-clear-roadmap-to-help-smes-transition-to-net-zero/ [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Really good visit to the famous Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow to see in person how they are decarbonising their production process and action including 100% renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, plastic reduction & waste water recycling #COP26 https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1458501500066541570/photo/1 [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Looking forward to joining @UKHofficial this afternoon in Glasgow for their #COP26 event. https://t.co/nTxYVFslFk [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Back in #COP26 this morning for Transportation day. Looking forward to speaking with delegates about electric vehicles, the future of aviation and other travel related topics! https://twitter.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1458089369852592131 [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  Good to meet yesterday with @kewgardens in the #COP26 blue zone to discuss their biodiversity work around the world, the vital role our young people will play in preserving the world's biodiversity, and share the COP26 letters written by pupils from Feltham and Heston https://x.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/1458370270754902016/photo/1 [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @FairTradeSco: Finally get to be ‘at right the table’ with @SmallBizSatUK in Scotland. #COP26 A bonus when you find politicians that un… [Source]

• 10 Nov 2021: Tweet

  RT @margot_james_: @COP26 is a great place to meet members of the @wmgwarwick Advisory Board, like good friend @SeemaMalhotra1 https://t.co… [Source]

• 28 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  “(c) the United Kingdom reaching its net-zero commitments.”

  This amendment adds the impact on the UK’s net-zero commitments as a particular consideration for public authorities before deciding whether to give a subsidy.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Third sitting)

  Thank you for allowing me to speak to the amendment, Mr Sharma. I want to speak about why I think this is so important. The reason for this amendment is that the Bill should prevent subsidies that unnecessarily harm or impede the UK’s work towards net zero. In the Bill as it currently stands, subsidies not related to energy or the environment can meet all of the subsidy control principles, but could work against the Government’s overall goal of moving towards net zero.

  To prevent this the Government are seeking to amend principle G of the schedule, in order to state that the subsidy’s beneficial effects must outweigh any negative consequences they may have on the UK’s net zero commitment. This was supported in evidence by Alexander Rose from DWF Group, who noted that all civil servants would be mandated to take account of net zero. Why not extend that thinking to other public authorities and to every single subsidy? Similarly, subsidies related to energy and the environment should not impede the UK’s work towards net zero. More than that, they should actively work towards the UK reaching its targets. We are having this debate and seeing the Bill pass through Committee during COP26; in fact, we are leading into COP26 and we will pick up after it. Does the Minister agree that if the Government want to show they are serious about this, we should be thinking about how to ensure that when public money could be used to support policy objectives, we include the United Kingdom reaching its net zero commitments as part of that?

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Third sitting)

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. My understanding is that the energy and environment principles would apply to subsidies in relation to energy and the environment. We are talking about a slightly broader principle here, which is that any subsidy granted under the regime should not have a harmful impact on achieving our net zero outcomes. That would seem to be a slightly perverse use of public money when net zero is such an explicit goal and when civil servants will need to be working towards it. Indeed, as Dr Barker outlined on Tuesday,

  “the green industrial revolution that we are all seeking to work towards in order to achieve net zero is also something that will require…partnership between business and Government”,

  These amendments are simply saying that if we are serious about what achieving net zero will mean, we should not allow a system to be established, at the same time as COP26, that could work against that, and do so using public money.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Third sitting)

  “(c) the United Kingdom reaching its net-zero commitments.”

  I have not heard from the Minister a strong argument as to why we would not want public authorities granting subsidies using public resources to ensure that beneficial effects outweighed any negative effects on the UK’s achieving its net zero commitments. That principle is significant, and it should be in the Bill, so I will push the amendment to a vote.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Third sitting)

• 28 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Nokes. I thank the Minister for his remarks on schedule 2. I have no further comments to add—we will be supporting this schedule stand part—other than to allude to the debate we had earlier about making more explicit within the schedule the need to deliver the UK’s net zero commitment, and that subsidies should contribute to that goal. That is an area that I am sure we will come back to when debating later parts of the Bill, but we will support this schedule stand part today.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Fourth sitting)

  I thank the hon. Lady for her explanation of the amendment. We certainly recognise the intention behind it, which was something we looked at and gave thought to. We share the view that climate and environmental considerations should be taken into account in assessing all subsidies, and ensuring that all subsidies are assessed in the context of the UK’s net zero commitments is important. That is a real gap in the Bill—for example, transport subsidies might sit outside the scope of schedule 2, and therefore a public authority might not be required to consider the environmental questions and impact relating to those.

  Labour believes that hardwiring the net zero considerations into all subsidy decisions would be better achieved by amending schedule 1, as our amendment would have done. I hope that as we proceed with our debates in the House and the period of COP26, which is just ahead of us, we can return to how we embed that principle in the legislation. These are principles of general relevance, so that is where we see a general requirement to consider net zero sitting a little more comfortably. That is why, while we support the intention behind the amendment, we would prefer to reconsider how we look at embedding the general principle of net zero more widely in the legislation.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Fourth sitting)

  My hon. Friend may be aware that it is part of the application, if someone is going to COP26, to show how they are—

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Fourth sitting)

  The requirements of applying for a pass for COP26— [ Laughter. ]

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Fourth sitting)

• 27 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  With a week to go until COP26, the Government have also failed to match their climate change rhetoric with action, as shown by the Climate Change Committee predictions that the Government are on course to miss future carbon budgets. A recent British Chambers of Commerce survey found that just 11% of small and medium-sized enterprises are aware of how to measure their carbon footprint.

  How much of the increased R&D investment, which is so critical to supporting innovative businesses at the cutting edge of the new economy, is going to support small businesses on their transition to net zero, and how is that going to be enabled? How are these announcements going to be delivered and translated to outcomes on the ground that make a difference in the recovery of local communities such as Hounslow—being an aviation community, we were hit very hard by the covid slowdown—with tremendous green growth ambitions?

  I, too, want an optimistic Budget—we all want an optimistic view for our country—but why did today’s Budget not make a clear, unequivocal commitment, with clear messages about our direction, such as Labour’s call to invest £28 billion every year until 2030 to tackle the climate crisis so that we can protect the planet and secure jobs in the UK? Businesses want to be certain about our vision and direction. They want a clear view of where they should invest. They want to know that if they make an investment today, they will get a return on it in five years’ time, and that there will not be another sudden change of strategy. The Chancellor has been talking to businesses; he will have heard the same message that I have.

  Full debate: Budget Resolutions

• 26 Oct 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  Thank you for giving evidence to us today, Dr Barker. I shall start with a more general question about your view of the Bill and the regime as a whole. Where do you see the opportunity for small businesses to work towards the Government’s objectives of levelling up and net zero that have been talked about?

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Second sitting)

  Q You have said this week that grants—or subsidies—made under the global Britain investment fund should have more conditionality associated with them to ensure that they support long-term commitments into the UK as well as levelling up. Do you believe that that Bill does enough to set out those goals? Is even net zero sufficiently enshrined in how subsidies should be used and their impact evaluated?

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Second sitting)

  Q Thank you to our witnesses for coming in today. We are very appreciative of your time. I will ask two questions to cover the areas that you have commented on. First, I am interested to know your view on the question of transparency in the Bill around decisions that are made on how challenges might be brought if there are concerns about subsidies and their impact. Secondly, more positively, what might the opportunities be for the Bill and its regime? What would success look like in terms of how it positively affects the areas that we, on both sides of the House, are interested in, such as levelling up and the transition to net zero? Will the scheme actively support delivering them?

  Some of the regimes that we are recipients of—the most beneficial for the UK steel sector—are around some of the subsidies and exemptions we receive on the costs of renewables and carbon taxes in relation to electricity prices. That is a really big issue for the steel sector. The UK steel sector pays between 80% and 100% more for its electricity than its counterparts in the EU. Those exemptions have reduced our electricity prices. There is a still a big gap, but they are really important to improving competitiveness in the UK.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill (Second sitting)

• 22 Sep 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  First, there are huge gaps in the Bill and crucial aspects are yet to be defined. The Bill may establish a regulatory framework of subsidy control, but it fails to provide any clear indication as to how and where the Government plan to see those subsidies being spent and at what scale. Labour is in favour of a subsidy system that backs British businesses and our economy, but it must operate in the context of a strong UK-wide industrial strategy, which for all intents and purposes is not nearly where it needs to be. Furthermore, there is no clear plan for how the new subsidy control regime will be used to support national priorities such as net zero. Much more needs to be joined up and coherent in the new regime.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill

  We want to see well-designed, proportionate subsidies as part of the wider industrial strategy that we need to grow the businesses and industries of the future and to invest in our transition to net zero. Labour has also said that we must buy, make and sell more in Britain, as called for by our shadow Chancellor, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves). That is part of how we can ensure resilience in our economy—the need for which has been highlighted only too starkly by the gas-price challenge and the CO 2 challenge of the past week.

  Full debate: Subsidy Control Bill

• 5 Jul 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  The motion authorises support for the development of an electric vehicle supply chain to be delivered through the automotive transformation fund. This is part of the significant transformation of the automotive sector that we need as it makes its transition to zero-emission vehicles. We understand that this programme will support late-stage capital and R&D investments in the UK in strategically important technologies. The Minister outlined quite a lot of these, but it is important that this should cover a much wider area of technologies than batteries, including cells, battery management systems, electric machines, drives, integrated power, electronics, fuel cells and so on.

  Labour has also set out why, alongside that, we must make electric vehicle ownership affordable. We have called for interest-free loans for new and used electric vehicles for those on low to middle incomes, removing the upfront cost barrier and trialling a national scrappage scheme. We would also make it easier for people to drive an electric vehicle wherever they live, accelerating the important roll-out of charging points on streets and targeting areas currently left out, such as Yorkshire, the north-west and many parts of the west midlands. We need an electric vehicle revolution in every part of the country to boost the car manufacturing industry, create jobs and make only zero-emission vehicles the option for all. For that, we need a strong domestic battery supply chain to remain competitive, build our position as a leading electric vehicle producer and sell to the world. We cannot afford to be in the slow lane. If the batteries are not made here, the danger is that the cars will not be either. We need to back our ambition with the policies that will fulfil that ambition.

  The Climate Change Committee tells us that for a smooth transition to 2030, 48% of new sales need to be electric by 2023. To reach that level, we come back to the point that electric vehicles must be affordable for lower income families. That is why the Government should not be cutting the plug-in grant. On supply chains, the intended investment from the fund in the development of electric vehicle supply chain in the UK is important. That development requires strategic interventions—something on which the Government do not have the best track record.

  This is an important strategic agenda and a vital step in accelerating the shift to zero-emission vehicles that we need to see. The areas I have raised are in the interest of being constructive, because Labour wants to ensure that everyone in the country can benefit from the electric vehicle revolution, instead of baking in unfairness. While it is right that the Government have said that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end, they are wrong to impose a massive transition on our manufacturers from Whitehall without integrated and full support. It is also important to think about the vehicles that small businesses rely on, such as light vans and small vans, and how they will also make the transition.

  Full debate: Financial Assistance to Industry

• 9 Jun 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  UK steel is at a turning point. A lack of strategic focus from successive Conservative Governments has inevitably resulted in reduced resilience against external shocks and fierce international competition. Our shared goal must be a sustainable future for UK steel and its supply chains, and we need the Government leadership that that demands. Steelmaking must decarbonise, and the long-term future of the industry is in supporting green jobs at the core of low-carbon economy. Steelmaking is a highly-skilled industry and a national asset, and it has a clear opportunity for continued growth, with procurement policies that could also help to increase the contribution of UK steel to UK manufacturing, products and infrastructure.

  Currently, 60% of steels are imported, and there is no assessment of the carbon footprint of those imports. Across the UK, there are around 1,100 businesses in steel and around 75,000 jobs, whether directly supported or in the supply chain. Those jobs are at the centre of our economies. In my speech, I will say a few words about supporting our steel industry today, about the need for a vision and plan for the future, and about ensuring a fair and just transition.

  We urgently need a truly ambitious vision for the sector that puts the UK at the cutting edge of green steel-making technology, and we need a plan to go with it. We need to see better progress on the industrial decarbonisation strategy and the acceleration of the clean steel fund. That £250 million fund was announced in 2019, but the spend from it is not set to start until 2023. I would be grateful for clarity from the Minister about why there is a delay.

  The UK seeks to decarbonise by 2050, but blast-furnace investments operate on a 20 to 25-year timescale, so we need a clean steel innovation programme now. As the Materials Processing Institute highlights, delaying until 2024 shows a lack of co-ordination between the Government’s timetable and the reality of the industry’s investment cycles.

  Although we accept that it is necessary that UK steel continues using coking coal for the next decade until technology is in place to provide for decarbonised steel, with the right strategy, investment in renewable technologies can create three times as many jobs as those in fossil fuel industries—jobs that are long term, highly skilled and high wage. Hydrogen could also play a huge part. Trials of direct reduced iron technology are already happening in Germany, Sweden and China. The Government should act quickly to prevent the UK from being left behind with this technology too.

  As the price of energy hinders progress, we need a clear industrial plan. We have heard how the gap between German and UK electricity prices is placing an extra £54 million a year additional cost on the UK steel sector. As the sector seeks to decarbonise, the price disparity is a major barrier to transitioning. All low-carbon options available are much more energy intensive. The Government have always said that the EU is a barrier to action. Now that we have left, they must take decisive action to address that price disparity.

  Full debate: UK Steel Sector: Supply Chains

• 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: Parliamentary Speech

  As we prepare to host COP26 in November and as we leave the EU’s regulatory frameworks, now is the time to create positive, impactful, long-lasting environmental protections. Unfortunately, the Government do not seem prepared to strengthen our legislation fully on environmental protections, instead seeming to give the Secretary of State too much discretion and refusing to implement too many of the changes that we need. Lockdown highlighted more than ever the importance of nature for our nation’s health and our wellbeing, but under the Tories, wildlife has been on a downward spiral, with 44% of species in decline over the last 10 years and tree planting targets being missed by over 50%. I want to see nature protected, which is why I am also supporting new clause 25—along with others I have signed that are in the name of the Opposition Front Benchers—to ensure that we are focused not just on planting new trees, but on protecting and maintaining existing woodlands. Hounslow Council’s work on this has been inspiring, and I am proud to also be an environmental champion.

  Full debate: Environment Bill

• 26 May 2021: Vote

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

• 24 May 2021: Parliamentary Speech

  The Minister is right about building back better, fairer and greener. We need to make sure that businesses are supported in the growth sectors that might be coming, particularly around the decarbonisation of our economy. I hope that there will be a connection, when future growth is planned within the industrial strategy, to help to support businesses to take advantage of some of those opportunities, too.

  Full debate: Financial Assistance to Industry

• 13 Jan 2021: Vote

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

• 8 Dec 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I return to climate change, which is a very important area for future pension policy. The investment decisions taken by pensions involve trillions of pounds—the kind of money that can catalyse significant change when used responsibly, from investing in infrastructure to green technologies. Labour’s amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill sought to ask pension funds to demonstrate how they are helping us get to net zero emissions. It is hard to see how the Government can achieve their own climate goals while excluding trillions of pounds of British capital from those efforts. By voting against our amendment, we believe the Government missed a chance to mobilise pension funds to protect the planet and support the drive to net zero. This is despite the fact that there is clear public support for such a move. The Government must use all the tools at their disposal to channel pension funds into investments that benefit people and the planet.

  Full debate: Future of Pensions Policy

• 19 Nov 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  Yesterday, the Government announced an additional £8 billion for green funding for the future. That is welcome, but it does not remotely meet the scale of what is needed to tackle the climate emergency and is far smaller than the €27 billion pledged by France or the €38 billion by Germany. That is why Labour has launched its own jobs-rich green recovery action plan, which includes action to recover jobs, and investment and co-ordination to secure up to 400,000 good, green additional jobs; to retrain workers by equipping them with the skills needed; to deploy the green technologies of the future; and to rebuild business with a stronger social contract between Government and businesses to tackle the climate crisis and ecological deterioration, while promoting prosperity and employment.

  In conclusion, future generations will judge us by the choices we make today to support livelihoods and businesses, tackle the unemployment crisis, and face up to the realities of the climate emergency. An economic plan needs a jobs plan, and a jobs plan needs a skills plan. A credible green recovery with sustainable jobs—something that people across the world are looking to—requires co-ordinated action across Government, harnessing investment and regulation, working alongside local government and the private and voluntary sectors to deliver system-wide change right across our country. We cannot let the failure to address pre-covid inequalities, laid bare by this crisis, now be an injustice that we allow to be passported into the future.

  Full debate: The Future of Work

• 18 Nov 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I want to make a few points. First, we urgently need a plan for aviation, including a plan for passenger testing, to help get planes flying safely, inbound and outbound. Secondly, we need a realistic, targeted support package to tackle the impact of the pandemic in the medium term on jobs, businesses and aviation communities. Thirdly, we need to plan for the future and invest more, not less, in the pace of decarbonisation in the sector.

  Finally, on plans for the future and decarbonisation, we know that progress on decarbonisation has been painfully slow. We welcome the jet zero plans and the work going on in government on the aviation sector in that regard. More of that will be debated at the important conference, which the Minister is aware of, hosted by West London Business this Friday on “reimagining our global hub”, looking to the future of aviation and transportation, and our leadership in the UK and across the world.

  Full debate: Aviation Industry

• 16 Nov 2020: Vote

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

• 5 Nov 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  I will keep my remarks on the amendment brief. In a sense, it builds on the positive work in the Lords on climate change by extending the provisions in the clause to contract-based workplace schemes as well as occupational pension schemes. I hope the Minister will agree that it is a common-sense extension of the welcome measures already contained in the Bill, and that it would ensure effective governance of all relevant schemes with respect to the effects of climate change.

  Full debate: Pension Schemes Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)

  It is a matter of cross-party pride that we are seeing the commitment to climate change risk come into pensions legislation, and that we are leading the way on this issue. Over the past few years, we have introduced flexibility for trustees to look at non-financial measures in relation to investment decisions, which is an important part of the journey. In the spirit of these legislative provisions, does the Minister agree that, to realise the potential of the Bill and the opportunity for trustees, it is important to continue dialogue and to seek international agreement? Some countries are making progress in the right direction, but others are not—for example, the legislation passed in Australia looks like it is going in the opposite direction.

  Full debate: Pension Schemes Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)

• 3 Nov 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  Indeed, I acknowledged in my opening remarks the Minister’s commitment to this agenda. He has also acknowledged Labour’s working with the Government on this agenda, but also helping to secure the amendments that have led to the new subsections in the Bill. The amendments require trustees and managers to take into account the Paris agreement and domestic climate targets in the overall governance, and disclosure of climate change risk and opportunities. It is a credit to the way in which we have proceeded on this agenda that for the first time climate change has featured in domestic pensions legislation.

  The amendment would build on the commitments by providing information relating to the scheme’s performance against environmental, social, and corporate governance targets, adding to the list of information on the dashboard and empowering individuals to better understand the role their savings play in tackling climate change and achieving other social and environmental goals. We are aware that the Government intend to keep the dashboard simple at first—indeed, the Minister commented on that in his opening remarks—but we note that Baroness Stedman-Scott said in the other place:

  Full debate: Pension Schemes Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)

• 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

• 3 Mar 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  In 2018, investment in acquisitions in the UK’s solar dropped to just £0.3 billion, from £1.6 billion in 2015. Should the Government not be doing more to support renewable power, in the light of the net zero target—which the Secretary of State mentioned—and the closure of the feed-in tariff, especially given that German, Italian and Spanish companies are now investing over six times more than UK companies in low-carbon technologies?

  Full debate: Low-Carbon Industries

• 05 Feb 2020: Vote

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

• 21 Jan 2020: Parliamentary Speech

  My hon. Friend is making a good speech, and I join him in paying tribute to colleagues who are no longer in this place but have done so much work in this area, including Sue Hayman and others. Does he agree that it is incredibly important, as we debate these Bills, to ensure that there is an assessment of when the UK agricultural sector will achieve net zero?

  Full debate: Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill

• 29 Apr 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I am grateful to the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, the hon. Member for Kingswood (Chris Skidmore), for visiting Space Studio West London in my constituency to see young people making robots and getting involved in other engineering projects such as sustainable energy. My mobile phone was charged wirelessly this morning by an invention of theirs.

  Full debate: Creative Projects: Early Years Experience

• 23 Apr 2019: Parliamentary Speech

  I extend my thanks to and express my admiration of Greta Thunberg, whose speech I had the honour of hearing today—her microphone was working, which I know was of concern to her at some points. Much needs to change, and we need to move forward together as a country to deliver that change sustainably. Further to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Stella Creasy), what substantial and specific plans does the Minister have for how we should formally engage with the public on how we respond, in policy and legislative terms, to our climate crisis? Why will she not consider a citizens’ assembly?

  Full debate: Climate Action and Extinction Rebellion

• 6 Nov 2018: Parliamentary Speech

  15. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of public funding for renewable energy since 2010.

  Full debate: Renewable Energy

  It is very surprising that the Chancellor’s Budget did not make any new commitments on renewable energy. Even worse is the fact that that comes with slashed grants for electric vehicles and plans to remove support for small-scale renewables. This was described by RenewableUK as a major blow to the sector. It also comes with the pursuit of fracking at any cost. On one of the greatest challenges we face today—clean, low carbon sustainable energy sources—why are the Government rolling back the clock?

  Full debate: Renewable Energy

• 7 Nov 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  Over the summer, along with my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock), I wrote a piece proposing a six-point Brexit plan to help to support our prosperity and security. We said we believed that the UK needed to remain a member of the single market, although some reform of the market might be necessary if it were to do so. We recognised that the Tories’ 2015 manifesto promised to safeguard Britain’s interests in the single market. We called for, and understood the need for, greater controls over freedom of movement, on which, in my view, we should seek to negotiate with other countries. We said that we should protect our financial services sector—for example, through passporting rights—and keep up with the EU in respect of measures to tackle tax avoidance. I believe—I shall say more about this shortly—that we must keep our stake in the European Investment Bank. We said that we must shadow the EU’s environmental legislation, and must not become the weak link in Europe when it comes to tackling pollution and climate change. Vitally, however, we need to shadow the EU’s employment legislation: that, I believe, is absolutely crucial.

  Full debate: Exiting the EU and Workers’ Rights

• 20 Oct 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  It is clear that any significant growth in this area would require new transport infrastructure to be both viable and deliverable. The Government therefore have a golden opportunity to deliver a step change to Heathrow’s accessibility from the south, and to help to unlock the potential for up to 13,000 new jobs and more than 7,000 new homes on London’s borders. The Minister will also be aware of the need to curb emissions around the airport in order to combat climate change and improve air quality. The newly elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has championed the need to improve air quality, even during his first few months in office. Heathrow’s submission to the Airports Commission argued that this proposal would also reduce road journeys to the airport by 3%, improving air quality and reducing congestion.

  Full debate: Heathrow (Southern Rail Link)

• 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

• 11 Apr 2016: Parliamentary Speech

  Where in the Finance Bill is a clause to reflect the Government’s other U-turn, which was on VAT on energy-saving materials? The Government accepted our amendment to the Budget resolution, which allowed the Government to legislate on the matter in the Finance Bill. The lack of legislation and the contradictory and noncommittal answers from Ministers are causing uncertainty in the industry. We simply call on the Government to make a commitment that they will not include a VAT rise for solar or other green energy measures in this or future Finance Bills.

  Full debate: Finance (No. 2) Bill

• 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 Dec 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  Will the Chancellor outline what measures he introduced in the autumn statement to support the UK’s renewable energy businesses?

  Full debate: Support for Business

  What did we actually get from this Chancellor last week? The £1 billion to develop carbon capture and storage was cut; feed-in tariff subsidies for solar panels were cut by 87%; we heard not a mention of national projects such as the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon; and we had Britain at the bottom of the European league for renewables. Does he agree with companies such as Tesco, IKEA, Vodafone and Unilever that his renewable energy cutbacks now pose a risk to UK businesses and undermine confidence in investment?

  Full debate: Support for Business

• 18 Nov 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  In his 2011 Budget, the Chancellor promised to rebalance our economy. What has happened? Manufacturing employment has decreased by 10% since he has been Chancellor. He is hurting not helping our renewable energy industries. The Chancellor’s Britain is out of touch with other nations. This is the only country cutting the support for renewables in favour of non-renewables. The Chancellor is hurting not helping Britain by cutting research and development investment. The last Labour Government had a target to increase private and public sector R and D to 2.5% of GDP by 2014. The latest official figures show that it is at 1.67%, which is behind the OECD and EU averages.

  Full debate: The Economy

• 26 Oct 2015: Vote

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

• 17 Sep 2015: Parliamentary Speech

  Although some aspects of the Bill are to be welcomed, many others are worrying. The change to the climate change levy, for example, has been almost universally challenged. The increase in insurance premium tax, which will raise substantial amounts for the Government, will cause significant hikes in insurance premiums for millions of people across the UK, with possible adverse consequences for consumer behaviour that must be understood. Those issues were tackled, to some extent, in Committee of the whole House last week.

  We need a Finance Bill that supports working people and does not penalise them, as the tax credit statutory instrument, which we discussed two days ago, does. We need a Finance Bill that supports business and provides long-term certainty, and which leads to investment now that will reap dividends in the future. A retrospective change to carbon taxes, for example, will not achieve that aim. That is the approach we will take in Committee.

  Full debate: Finance Bill (First sitting)

• 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

• 04 Dec 2013: Vote

  Recall of Elected Representatives — Schedule 4 — Application and modification of emissions limit duty - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: No

• 04 Jun 2013: Vote

  Energy Bill — Clause 133 — Financial provisions - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 04 Jun 2013: Vote

  Energy Bill — Clause 10 — Direction to offer contract - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 04 Jun 2013: Vote

  Energy Bill — Clause 1 — Decarbonisation - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 03 Jun 2013: Vote

  Communities and Local Government — Clause 42 — Duty not to exceed annual carbon dioxide emissions limit - Pro-climate vote: No - Their vote: Aye

• 17 Oct 2012: Vote

  Relationship, Drug and Alcohol Education (Curriculum) — New Clause 22 — Interpretation of the green purposes: duty to assess impact on the Climate Change Act 2008 - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 11 Jun 2012: Vote

  Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill - Pro-climate vote: Aye - Their vote: Aye

• 25 Apr 2012: Parliamentary Speech

  ‘(ea) the need to work with NATS, the Secretary of State, the Committee on Climate Change and air transport service providers towards meeting the United Kingdom’s greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations as set out in the UK’s Carbon Budget, including the UK’s share of international aviation emissions’.— (Jim Fitzpatrick .)

  Full debate: Civil Aviation Bill