Green Party mailing
SLEAZE AND TRUTH-TELLING 

In my last newsletter, I wrote about Tory sleaze, the lack of truth-telling
by the Prime Minister and the failure to uphold the Ministerial Code which
governs conduct in public office.

Since then, the situation has got even worse. Text messages, cover-ups over
the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, and a deeply offensive
comment about Covid deaths have all been revealed by the newspapers and
broadcasters, denied by the Prime Minister, then confirmed by other
journalists.

Ministers have tried to brush this aside as "tittle tattle" or claimed it
doesn't matter to ordinary voters. That is not true. Green party canvassers
tell me that it is coming up on the doorstep, but worryingly is turning
people away from politics and the democratic process altogether. That is
one reason why the Prime Minister's lying is so dangerous for our
democracy.

What has become very clear is that, under our archaic and dysfunctional
rules, it is the Prime Minister himself who decides whether the Ministerial
Code has been broken. He is effectively allowed to mark his own homework -
a point I put to the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, in Parliament.
You can read our exchange here [1].

As well as speaking about this in Parliament, I have given interviews to
BBC Radio 4's Today programme [2] and Westminster Hour [3] and I wrote
about it in my column for Metro. [4] The rules for governing conduct in
public office need to change.

MEETING WITH THE SPEAKER 

Together with five other opposition party leaders at Westminster, I wrote
to the Speaker about the Prime Minister's serial lying to Parliament and
his breaking of the Ministerial Code (the story was covered in several
media outlets including the Guardian [5], the Daily Mirror [6], Sky News
[7], and I wrote a comment piece about it in the Independent [8]).

Last week, we had a meeting with the Speaker where we discussed a number of
possible measures, including learning from the more transparent Scottish
model of correcting the record when someone has said something inaccurate
in Holyrood. We will now be writing to the Chair of the Procedure Committee
to follow up on these discussions.

NEW CLIMATE TARGETS 

Just ahead of President Biden's climate summit, the Government announced a
more ambitious climate target, to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by
2035 compared to 1990 levels. That means a 60% reduction on today's levels.


Clearly, I welcome a target which is more in line with what the science is
telling us. But there is still no strategy for achieving it, as I pointed
out on the BBC Politics Live [9] programme. The Government's 10-point plan
doesn't even deliver on previous, weaker targets and, in the meantime, it's
carrying on building more roads and cutting the home insulation programme.

But the most glaring problem is the refusal to recognise what's really
fuelling the climate crisis, and that is the focus on GDP growth above
anything else. My letter about this was published in the Guardian [10].

TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS BY FOCUSING ON WELLBEING  

We urgently need to shift to a Wellbeing economy where the health of people
and planet is put before short-term profit, communities are prioritised
over consumption and the key measure of success is not GDP growth but
wellbeing.

I want Parliament to debate a Wellbeing Economy. To achieve this, we need
100,000 signatures on a petition on the parliamentary website. I'd be
really grateful if you might sign it [11], if you haven't already.

THE CLIMATE & ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY BILL 

I introduced this Bill in Parliament last year and was delighted to see
more than 100 climate experts, environmentalists and businesses sign a
letter to the Prime Minister urging him to support the Bill. As a first
step, it should be included in the Queen's Speech next week.

CORONAVIRUS IN INDIA 

The scenes from India as medical staff are overwhelmed by coronavirus
patients are truly heartrending. Governments across the world need to be
doing much more to support the efforts to contain the virus there.
Ministers have now finally added India to the red list of countries so
arrivals from there must quarantine in particular hotels. But this
requirement didn't come into force for four days after the announcement,
which itself came days after the situation there span out of control. It is
yet another example of the Government shutting the stable door after the
horse has bolted.

SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE POLICING BILL 

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is dangerous, undemocratic
and completely disproportionate - it's been condemned by former chief
constables and two former Home Secretaries, not least because of the way it
curtails the right to peacefully protest. Nearly 2,500 Brighton residents
have signed a petition opposing any restriction on the right to peaceful
protest and I know from my inbox that many of you are deeply concerned, as
I am, about giving the police new powers to undermine a fundamental right
in a democracy.

I spoke against the Bill in a debate in Westminster Hall. You can read my
speech here [12].

THE FIRE SAFETY BILL  

Each time this Bill has come before MPs, I have voted to amend it so that
other fire risks apart from cladding are covered and *all* leaseholders are
protected from the costs of making their homes safe. Again last week, I
voted to protect leaseholders from having the costs of fixing dangerous
cladding passed on to them. But yet again, the Government rejected this
amendment, leaving thousands of people in homes which are potentially
dangerous and which they cannot sell.  

EARTH DAY  

I marked Earth Day (on April 22nd) in two ways. I tabled an Early Day
Motion [13] with a cross-party group of MPs, urging the Government to
invest in creating over a million good green jobs across the country,
including in health and social care. And I wrote to every garden centre in
Brighton and Hove, asking them to stop selling peat-based compost.
Peatlands are absolutely vital for biodiversity, flood prevention and
carbon storage and the gardener and TV presenter, Monty Don, has righty
described using peat in horticulture as "environmental vandalism".



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Contacting Me

If you are a local resident and need help with case work or to find out more about my activities locally please do contact me at the office of: Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Media Centre 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL.
Tel: 01273 201 130. Email: [email protected]

I hold regular surgeries across the constituency. If you would like to book an appointment at a forthcoming surgery please call Liz Collis on 01273 201130.
She coordinates my constituency office and is able to help with most local enquiries.

If you would like to know about my parliamentary work please get in touch at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
Tel: 020 7219 7025. Email: [email protected]

You can also keep up to date with my news on:

Twitter: @carolinelucas

Facebook: /carolinelucas.page

My Website: www.carolinelucas.com

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