From 5th July 2024 there are 4 constituencies partly in Haringey Borough, with these MPs:
– Hampstead and Highgate – Tulip Siddiq
– Hornsey and Frien Barnet – Catherine West
– Southgate and Wood Green – Bambos Charalambous
– Tottenham – David Lammy
The following blocks link to the manifestos of the five main parties and compare climate and environmental pledges in terms of:
– Net Zero Commitments
– Energy and Financing Strategy
– Electricity Sources and Infrastructure
– Industry
– Jobs
– Consumers
– Environment
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The Labour Party Manifesto can be downloaded from here The Institute for Government has analysed the Labour manifesto with 10 things we learned from the Labour manifesto.
‘Make Britain a clean energy superpower’ is the main mission related to climate and environment. It includes:
- Net Zero Commitments promises to “get Britain back on track to meet our climate targets” and charge for carbon at borders to protect British industries from foreign ‘dumping’ as we decarbonise.
- Energy and Financing Strategy promises energy independence ‘from dictators like Putin’ with a new Energy Independence Act. The new low carbon energy, deploying local energy production, will be enabled by Great British Energy, capitalised by £8.3bn and partnering with industry and trade unions….. Labour plans to allocate:
– £1.8 billion to upgrade ports and build supply chains across the UK
– £1.5 billion to new gigafactories so our automotive industry leads the world
– £2.5 billion to rebuild our steel industry [low carbon]
– £500 million to support the manufacturing of green hydrogen.
– £1 billion to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture
Funding will be freed up by an increased windfall levy and removal of subsidies and generous investment allowances for oil and gas companies. Security of supply would be provided by a strategic reserve of gas power stations; long-term energy storage (inc green hydrogen) and a ‘phased and responsible transition in the North Sea’ with no new licences to explore new oil or gas fields.
- Electricity Sources and Infrastucture Labour would work with industry to upgrade the national transmission infrastructure, deal with grid connection obstacles and ‘rewire Britain’. Increased low carbon energy would come from double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030, investing in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and marine energy; nuclear increase, and banning fracking for good. Local Area Energy would be planned with Great British Energy partnering with energy companies, local authorities, and co-operatives, with communities invited to come forward with projects, and work with local leaders and devolved governments.
- Industry A National Wealth Fund would support the most energy intensive sectors to decarbonise and Britain’s automotive and steel industries would be supported to decarbonise.
- Jobs – 650,000 new high-quality jobs, would be created, helped by a British Jobs Bonus, of up to £500 million per year to incentivise firms who offer good jobs. The North Sea would be managed in a way that did not jeopardise jobs, with offshore workers transitioning to the industries of the future.
- Consumers would benefit from a £6.6 billion investment to upgrade five million homes. Banks and building societies would provide further private finance to accelerate home upgrades and low carbon heating and the Warm Homes Plan would offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills. Standing charges would be reviewed for reductions.
- Environment – water companies would be forced to clean up rivers; nine new National River Walks would be created; millions of trees would be planted and new woodlands created. Labour would expand nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs and forests and produce a land-use framework, making environment land management schemes work for farmers and nature. Labour would reduce waste by moving to a circular economy.
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The Conservative Party Manifesto is available here (online). The Institute for Government has analysed the Conservative manifestos. Seven things we learned from the Conservative manifesto.
Page 48 has ‘Our Plan for an affordable and Pragmatic Transition to Net Zero’. Climate related promises include:
- Net Zero commitments are that they would make the Climate Change Committee consider costs and ‘energy security’.
- Energy and Financing Strategies suggest that ‘energy security’ would be delivered by more oil and gas from the North Sea.
- Electricity Sources and Infrastructure Energy would come from more oil and gas from the North Sea; new gas power stations; treble offshore wind; democratic consent for onshore wind; carbon capture and storage projects; two new fleets of small nuclear reactors; expanded large nuclear power; no solar on good agricultural land. The infrastructure would evolve through local markets for electricity; cutting waiting times for grid connections; considering ‘undergrounding’ instead of pylons
- Industry would be helped by £1.1bn for a ‘green industries growth accelerator’
- Jobs – 200,000 would be saved by granting new oil and gas licences. Some well paid jobs would be created by building nuclear reactors.
- Consumers will be helped by never forcing people to rip out their boiler to get a heat pump; reducing green levies in electricity bills; reforming ‘standing charges’; £6bn in energy efficiency; vouchers for solar panels and energy efficiency measures
- Environment Introduce reforms to outdated EU red tape to better protect nature ….. Environment Act including ambitious targets to halt nature’s decline by 2030 and Biodiversity Net Gain…. international efforts to protect our oceans and seas…. the Blue Belt programme….. prevent new waste incinerators being built, including those with recent permit approvals, revoking those where substantial construction has not taken place.
- recycling and less single use plastics.
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The new Reform Party has a ‘contract’ here. The main climate related policies are at page 8, and include:
- Net Zero Commitments “is Crippling our Economy”…. would scrap Net Zero and related subsidies achieved through equivalent taxes.
- Energy and Financing Strategy – “Cheap, Secure Energy” for Britain. Financial claims all about saved £s, rather than climate spend.
- Electricity Sources and Infrastructure – fast-track licences of North Sea gas and oil and granting shale gas licences on test sites for 2 years; fast tracking Small Modular Reactors, built in Britain; increase and incentivise “combined cycle gas turbines, clean synthetic fuel, tidal power and explore clean coal mining.” Tighter Regulation and New Ownership Model
for Critical National Infrastructure…. Overhaul and merge the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure Bank; Scrap Net Zero objectives; Launch a new model that brings 50% of each utility into public ownership. The other 50% would be owned by UK pension funds, benefiting from new expertise and better management. - Industry – increase and incentivise ethical UK lithium mining for electric
batteries. - Jobs – “Country Sports increase investment and help conservation of our environment. They boost rural jobs, communities and local economies.”
- Consumers – legislate to ban ULEZ Clean Air Zones and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. …… no more bans on petrol and diesel cars and no legal requirements for manufacturers to sell electric cars. Lower fuel duty by 20p per litre for both residential and business users. Scrap VAT on energy bills. Scrap environmental levies. We will ensure standing charges are capped.
- Environment – would scrap Climate-Related Farming Subsidies “Productive land must be farmed, not be used for solar farms or rewilding.”…. Replace current subsidies with direct payments. Stop Natural England from taking action that damages farmers……We can protect our environment with more tree planting, more recycling and less single use plastics.
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The Liberal Democrat manifesto is ‘For a Fair Deal‘ here.
- Net Zero Committments – “would achieve net zero by 2045″…..show leadership on the Paris Agreement by meeting the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution….. reduce emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030…… creating a Joint Climate Council of the Nations ….. restore international development spending to 0.7% of national income….support for the UN Loss and Damage Fund for countries particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change
- Energy and Financing Strategy – would implement the UK’s G7 pledge to end fossil fuel subsidies…… one-off windfall tax on the super-profits of oil and gas producers and traders…… regulate financial services to encourage climate-friendly investments, including requiring pension funds and managers to show that their portfolio investments are consistent with the Paris Agreement, and creating new powers for regulators to act if banks and other investors are not managing climate risks properly.
- Energy Sources and Infrastructure – remove restrictions on new solar and wind power, and support investment and innovation in tidal and wave power…..maintain the ban on fracking and introduce ban on new coal mines…….investing in energy storage, including green hydrogen, pumped storage and battery capability. Community and decentralised energy…..empowering local authorities to develop local renewable electricity generation and storage strategies…..give small low-carbon generators the right to export their electricity to an existing electricity supplier on fair terms. Build the grid infrastructure required, with a strategic Land and Sea Use Framework…reduce access costs for grid connections … permit local energy grids……more electricity interconnectors between the UK and other countries to guarantee security of supply,….. the National Infrastructure Commission to take fully into account the environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions…..Requiring large energy suppliers to work with community schemes to sell the power they generate to local customers….community benefit funds receive a fair share of the wealth generated by local renewables infrastructure……
- Industry – climate change at the heart of a new industrial strategy….. “Working together with our European neighbours to build a sustainable supply chain for renewable energy technology.”….. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for high-emission products, protecting UK businesses…set targets consistent with achieving the net zero goal….support carbon capture and storage and new low-carbon processes for cement and steel production.
- Jobs – education and training for the low-carbon economy
- Consumers – would decouple electricity prices from the wholesale gas price.emergency…. Home Energy Upgrade programme, with free insulation and heat pumps for low-income households….tax incentives, loans and grants, together with advice and support…..incentives for installing heat pumps ….. new homes to be zero-carbon standard, including solar panels….. landlords to upgrade to EPC C or above by 2028….energy discounts for vulnerable households……cheaper and easier to switch to electric vehicles, new cars and vans sold from 2030 zero-emission…. active travel and public transport …….electrifying Britain’s railways….. reforming the taxation of international flights to focus on those who fly the most… moratorium on net airport expansion
- Jobs – a just transition that values the skills and experience of people working in the oil and gas industry.
- Environment – farming and food system on an environmentally sustainable footing…. introduce a general duty of care for the environment for all large UK companies……….ensure that nature-based solutions, including tree planting, form a critical part of the UK’s strategy to tackle climate change
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The Green Party manifesto is here
- Net Zero Committments – We would push the Government to transition to a zero-carbon society as soon as possible, and more than a decade ahead of 2050….deliver a zero[1] carbon electricity supply and security of supply over short and long periods of low generation, with sufficient electricity for all cars and vans to be electric, for all homes and buildings to stop using fossil fuels, and for most industry to transition to clean energy.
- Energy and Financing – Remove all oil and gas subsidies….. A £40bn investment per year in the shift to a green economy over the course of the next Parliament…… introduce a carbon tax on all fossil fuel imports and domestic extraction, based on greenhouse gas emissions produced when fuel is burned…… set initially at £120 per tonne of carbon emitted would raise up to an additional £80bn….. …..Regional mutual banks to be set up to drive investment in decarbonisation and local economic sustainability…..£2bn per year in grant funding for local authorities to help businesses decarbonise….. Community ownership to be encouraged through greater access to government funding in the transition to a zero-carbon economy……a share of community ownership in local sustainable energy infrastructure such as wind farms.
- Energy Sources and Infrastructure – Wind to provide around 70% of the UK’s electricity by 2030…Delivery of 80GW of offshore wind, 53 GW of onshore wind, and 100 GW of solar by 2035…..phase-out of nuclear energy…. investment in energy storage capacity and more efficient electricity distribution ….. communities to own their own energy sources, ensuring they can use any profit from selling excess energy to reduce their bills or benefit their communities…… cancel recent fossil fuel licences such as for Rosebank and stop all new fossil fuel extraction projects in the UK.
- Industry -most industry to transition to clean energy.
- Jobs – A £12.4bn investment in skills and training….. in the green economy.
- Consumers – Ensure that all new homes meet Passivhaus or equivalent standards and house builders include solar panels and heat pumps on all new homes, where appropriate….. £29bn over the next five years to insulate homes to an EPC B standard or above as part of a ten-year programme…… £4bn over the next five years to insulate other buildings to a high standard….. £9bn over the next five years for low-carbon heating systems (e.g. heat pumps) for homes and other buildings
- Environment – a Rights of Nature Act, giving rights to nature itself …. .end sewage pouring into our rivers and seas by taking the water companies back into public ownership …. extend access to green space and waterways …… a new English Right to Roam Act …. set aside 30% of our land and seas by 2030 in which nature will receive the highest priority and protection.
https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons shows details of each MP, including voting records and the postal address for all MPs as: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
To lobby them on Haringey green issues – or on national green issues or on personal problems they can be contacted by their constituents.
- Bambos Charalambous MP Phone: 0207 219 3460 Email: bambos.charalambous.mp@parliament.uk X is @bambosmp
- David Lammy MP Email: david.lammy.mp@parliament.uk X is @davidlammy
- Catherine West MP Phone: 020 7219 6141 Email: catherine.west.mp@parliament.uk X is @catherinewest1
- Tulip Siddiq MP Phone: 020 8127 5525 Email: tulip.siddiq.mp@parliament.uk X is @tulipsiddiq