Your October Green Party update is here!
Green Party - Greens Connect newsletter

John,

 

The wait is almost over for one of the most widely anticipated Budgets in recent history. Scroll to find out more about what Green MPs want prioritised by an increasingly unpopular Government and what else is going on in the party 🔽

 
News roundup

Introduce a wealth tax and invest in transformative change in public services. That's the message from co-leader Carla Denyer to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of tomorrow's budget. Carla is one of 28 MPs who has signed a cross party letter calling for a 2 per cent tax on assets over £10M.

The UK is complicit in war crimes given its failure to end all arms sales to Israel. Speaking in the House of Commons, Ellie Chowns MP said the Israeli Government was in breach of international law following atrocities in Northern Gaza, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and inadequate evacuation orders to densely populated suburbs in Beirut.

Why is the Government investing £22 billion in unproven carbon capture and storage technology when most projects worldwide have been abandoned or put on hold? In a question to Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the priority should be scaling up natural carbon capture by investing in woodlands, wetlands and peatlands.

Sian Berry photographed outside parliament

Sian Berry has branded the decision to set up a major review of the water sector without looking at nationalising water companies as "unthinkable". She was speaking after news broke that Southern Water wants to hike consumer bills by 84 per cent by 2030 - the highest proposed rise by any water company across the country. 

 
Greens in parliament
Green MPs at the steps of parliament with other campaigners holding a signs saying 'we're backing the climate and nature bill'.

Green MPs with the Zero Hour campaign at the steps of parliament. 

While Labour's popularity has plummeted during its first 100 days in power, Green MPs have been caught up in a "whirlwind" of setting up constituency offices and parliamentary teams and getting to grips with their new jobs.

 

The importance of effective cross party working is clear and Green MPs are supporting Zero Hour's campaign to get the Climate and Nature Bill, first introduced by Caroline Lucas, onto the statute books.

 

Nature restoration is a priority for Greens in this Parliament and they have been quick out of the blocks with Adrian calling for all new homes to be fitted with solar panels as standard, Ellie setting up a new APPG on water pollution, and Sian introducing a bill to ban local authorities using pesticides.

 

Meanwhile, Carla has been appointed to the Renters Rights Bill Committee meaning she will play an important role strengthening renters rights, such as ending no fault evictions, a huge issue in her own constituency.

Carla Denyer holding a sign saying 'I will champion animal protection in parliament'.
 
Nature action now

There has been a brilliant response to our Nature Action Now campaign. Launched by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, the campaign will support Green MPs work to prioritise nature action in this parliament. Have you visited the campaign portal yet?  As part of the campaign, we are organising an event on water pollution on 7 November at 6pm 'How Do We Clean Up Our Rivers?' The speakers are Green MP Ellie Chowns, Green peer Jenny Jones, Cllr Matthew Bird and James Wallace CEO of River Action UK. Sign up to join here

Banner with river flowing saying 'nature action now'.
 
Green campaigns

by Tom Scott, Campaigns Coordinator

 

We know many Greens will be among the thousands of environmental campaigners and River Champions in London on 3 November for the March for Clean Water to demand an end to the scandal of raw sewage poured into our waterways by the privatised water companies. You’ll find a meeting spot for Greens on the march and a placard design you can print off here.

March for Clean Water placard design: 'No Shit Sherlock - Water Belongs in Public Hands'.
 
October newsletter last word
Image illustrating Ellie Chowns at LBC.

Ellie Chowns has had a brilliant start to her career as MP and is one of the rising stars of this parliament. Her interventions whether in the House of Commons or media are spot on, none more so than her response to the daft proposal of Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, that the DWP send job coaches onto mental health wards to get people back to work. Let's treat mental health with the same level of importance as physical health, Ellie told LBC. "If we are talking about sending workers into hospitals, let's send nurses into hospitals, let's send specialist mental health support workers into hospitals. People are in hospital because they are ill and need help to recover and get better...Sending in a job coach really doesn't do it."

 

Things can only get better. Right?

In hope,

The Green Party 💚

 

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