John,

I hope everyone's been enjoying the summer period, and managing to take a break where possible. Here are some highlights of my work from the end of the Parliamentary term, and some reflections on what's been in the news over the summer.

Last month saw record-breaking temperatures, as the mercury hit 40C in the UK for the first time ever. During the heatwave we witnessed the effects of extreme heat and sweeping wildfires, even more evidence that the climate emergency is right here, right now – yet our Government went AWOL. I asked an Urgent Question in Parliament about the national response to the extreme heat – and the Government’s utter lack of preparedness showed it was turning up with a watering can, when we needed a giant fire hose. You can watch my House of Commons speech on my Instagram. 

A month on from extreme heat, we’ve reached a point where Britain is drying up. Our privatised water companies have been siphoning off £72 billion in dividends to their shareholders – meanwhile they’ve been under-investing in our water supply, failing to fix our Victorian leaky pipes, and shockingly, we're continuing to see raw sewage being pumped into our seas. I’ve written to Southern Water yet again, to demand action. But the bottom line is that it’s beyond time to bring water companies back into public hands – for better investment, a higher-quality service, and no costly shareholder dividends. Read my opinion piece in the Guardian.

People across the country are facing an accelerated cost of living scandal, leaving them with impossible choices about how to make ends meet. The Government must urgently step in to help get spiralling bills under control, and to keep people warm this winter - I support calls for a recall of Parliament to try to force this to happen. While other parties offer nothing more than temporary sticking plasters (or nothing at all), the Green Party would bring the big five energy retail companies into public hands, lower the price cap to October 2021 levels, and adopt differential price tariffs. But that’s not enough on its own – in the long-term, we need to see a street-by-street, local authority-led mass home insulation programme, to help slash people’s bills and their carbon emissions. Read more about our plan in the Guardian.

Since my last newsletter, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was finally dragged kicking and screaming to the podium outside Downing Street to announce his long-awaited resignation. Relieved though I am, the rot permeating through Westminster runs far deeper than one reckless, untrustworthy, lying, law-breaking rogue Prime Minister. We need to see proper electoral reform to adopt a fairer voting system, and a constitutional convention to bring power back to nations, regions and local communities. It's time to renew our politics, and reinvigorate our democracy. Read my piece in the i.

Readers may know about my love for the swift – a most amazing, beautiful bird, and the fastest of all birds in level flight. Yet since 1995, we’ve seen a decline in that species of more than half. That's just one reason why the global Biodiversity COP15 summit coming up later this year is so important – and why I secured a (first-ever) debate in the House of Commons to discuss it. Our children and grandchildren are running out of time to discover the wonders that nature holds – so we need urgent action now to protect and restore it. Read my piece in PoliticsHome, and watch my debate speech in the House of Commons.

I‘m hearing from constituents on a daily basis who are having to deal with completely unacceptable delays when applying for a passport. The backlog of incomplete, delayed, and lost applications is staggering. The Home Office says it aims to answer 95% of all MP enquiries into these applications within 20 working days – this is simply not happening. There have been times when it has taken my team and I several hours to get through to the Home Office, only to be told that my constituent must re-submit their application entirely as a deadline has passed, or that it has been lost due to a ‘data glitch’. People are missing out on hard-earned breaks and important family events abroad because of the Home Office’s internal chaos – it's a department completely unfit for purpose, as I’ve written in Metro.

I am incredibly proud to be an MP for Brighton and Hove – a city that is known for being one of the most progressive LGBTQ+ cities not just in the country, but in the world. It was great to have Pride return to Brighton and Hove this year – as both a celebration of what's been achieved, and an opportunity to redouble our efforts on the struggles still to win, and to say loud and clear that LGBTIQA+ rights matter. When our shameful government is willing to deport LGBTIQA+ asylum seekers to Rwanda, to face persecution in a country with a human rights record far worse than our own – Brighton will always be a city of sanctuary for those seeking safety.

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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