Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Parminter writes following her Lords question this week on 'Strengthening the public authorities’ biodiversity duty'.
Nature provides us with the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. It also creates moments of connection through sitting by water or listening to bird song which just makes our lives better. Yet our rapacious consumption and unsustainable use of nature threatens our future. That message was brought home strongly earlier this year by the UN report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) that concluded that nature is being eroded at rates unprecedented in human history. Political will to tackle the climate emergency has been evident in the face of global public protests but more action and resources to tackle the profound threat too of biodiversity loss is now needed. Liberal Democrats fought the last election promising that protecting the natural environment would be a core commitment of every government department and agency. This would be in addition to a Nature Act with targets on...
EDF Energy's Managing Director for Nuclear Development writes that the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk offers an enormous opportunity for skills and jobs in the East of England.
Earlier this week, the Government launched a consultation on a new way of funding low carbon energy infrastructure – you can view the details here. This “Regulated Asset Base” model is already widely used for UK infrastructure. If applied to Sizewell C in Suffolk, it would lead to lower financing costs and significant savings for consumers. EDF Energy welcomes the consultation as a further sign of the Government’s commitment to nuclear and its place in a future net zero energy mix. In a world with no polluting fossil fuels and a massive expansion of renewables, reliable low carbon nuclear power is an essential part of the energy mix. It cuts the challenge and cost of the almost complete decarbonisation of the electricity supply we all use and depend on. Making Sizewell C a near replica of Hinkley Point C is the key to lowering finance and...
Every Prime Minister wants to leave a legacy, but for Theresa May it seemed to matter more than most.
Having failed in her attempts to deliver Brexit - the defining mission of her three years as Prime Minister - May wanted some achievements to point to when she leaves 10 Downing Street for the last time. So, unencumbered by the responsibility of taking the UK out of the EU, May has spent the final weeks of her time in office rolling out a series of announcements in areas which have been largely ignored during her time behind that famous black door. CLIMATE CHANGE Committing the UK to slash carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 has been a major parting gift to climate change campaigners from Mrs May. In June, the Prime Minister introduced the landmark legislation to the Commons which means ministers are legally obliged to hit the target. It supersedes the former plan to cut emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050, following advice from the Committee for Climate Change. "As the first country to legislate for long-term climate targets, we can be truly proud of our record in...
Donald Trump has labelled Boris Johnson “Britain Trump” and claimed he will “get it done” as Prime Minister.
Just hours after his victory in the Tory leadership contest, the US President showered him in compliments, saying “he’s tough and he’s smart” and “he’s going to do a good job”. But in comments set to go down less well in Mr Johnson’s camp, Mr Trump also praised Nigel Farage and said “he is going to work well with Boris”. It came as the incoming Prime Minister addressed Tory MPs in the House of Commons following his victory over Jeremy Hunt in the race to replace Theresa May. Speaking at the 1922 Committee he received a rapturous welcome, but when asked if would be calling an early election said he was “not inf favour of one”, but failed to rule it out. Meanwhile at the Turning Point USA conference in Washington DC, Mr Trump said on stage: “We have a really good man who’s going to be the Prime Minister of the UK now, Boris Johnson. “Good man. He’s tough and he’s smart. They’re saying ‘Britain Trump’, they’re calling him Britain Trump. “And people are saying that’s a good...The National Federation of Builders writes that the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report ‘Raising the Roof’ builds on industry proposals.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report, titled ‘Raising the Roof’, is thankfully not claiming to be the silver bullet to solve the housing crisis but, instead, earnestly builds on industry proposals. Penned by Jacob Rees-Mogg MP and Radomir Tylecote, the report focusses on enabling a more competitive house building industry through more appropriate taxation and supply mechanisms. Taxation is a problem for the industry. The IEA’s recommendations to more easily use corporation tax relief to clean up derelict or contaminated land are welcomed, but silent and unfair taxes charged through the development process must also be reformed. House builders pay many fees and taxes, two of them being the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a standardised development charge, and Section 106, an affordable housing contribution assessed on expected profits. CIL was initially introduced to replace the complex and delay-ridden Section 106. Yet, in practice, developers are paying both. An...With the Conservative party leadership decided and Boris Johnson elected as the new Prime Minister of UK, the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is set for a fresh approach ahead of the imminent Cabinet re-shuffle.
With all the Westminster political activity ongoing, the GGF Political Strategy Committee met on 1st July to discuss the status, progress and future plans for the GGF’s campaigns on fire safety, skills and training, energy efficiency. Kevin Buckley, GGF Chief Executive commented, “Now that the new Prime Minister has been elected, we are anticipating changes to the Cabinet. When the new appointments are finalised - hopefully in the next few weeks – then we will approach the relevant ministers and key decision makers with fresh communications on our campaigns. In the meantime, we will continue to cascade any relevant information on the campaigns, Brexit and glazing in conservation areas as and when we have it.” As part of the GGF’s Fire Safety campaign, Adrian Blaydon, GGF Technical Officer presented on “The Importance of Fire Resistant Glazing” at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fire Safety in the House of Commons on 9th July. On his presentation Adrian commented, “It was a...The National Federation of Builders writes that the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report ‘Raising the Roof’ builds on industry proposals.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report, titled ‘Raising the Roof’, is thankfully not claiming to be the silver bullet to solve the housing crisis but, instead, earnestly builds on industry proposals. Penned by Jacob Rees-Mogg MP and Radomir Tylecote, the report focusses on enabling a more competitive house building industry through more appropriate taxation and supply mechanisms. Taxation is a problem for the industry. The IEA’s recommendations to more easily use corporation tax relief to clean up derelict or contaminated land are welcomed, but silent and unfair taxes charged through the development process must also be reformed. House builders pay many fees and taxes, two of them being the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a standardised development charge, and Section 106, an affordable housing contribution assessed on expected profits. CIL was initially introduced to replace the complex and delay-ridden Section 106. Yet, in practice, developers are paying both. An...
Follow all the latest announcements as newly elected Conservative leader Boris Johnson forms his new government.
Shadow Minister for Justice Yasmin Qureshi outlines her amendments to the Courts and Tribunals (Online Procedure) Bill as it reaches Committee stage in Parliament.
This week the Courts and Tribunals (Online Procedure) Bill reaches the Committee stage in the House of Commons. In theory this should provide an opportunity to question and improve legislation which will have a major impact on the way we do justice and act as a key plank of the Government’s wider court reform programme. The Bill establishes an Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) which will then produce a framework and rules for use in specified civil, tribunal and family law proceedings as they move online. Although there is broad support for this committee, various interest groups have raised serious concerns. The Law Society has emphasised that Parliament should have greater oversight of new rules than the Bill currently allows. Meanwhile the PCS union and mental health advocates have argued that people need to have the right to choose traditional methods and highlighted the vital importance of protecting those who may be at risk of digital exclusion. This past week has also...
Labour's membership has dipped below half a million after tens of thousands quit the party, PoliticsHome can reveal.
Official figures put the total at just under 485,000 - down from a peak of 564,000 at the end of 2017. That includes around 35,000 supporters whose subscriptions are in arrears, meaning the party now has around 450,000 fully paid-up members. The 14% drop in membership comes against a backdrop of dissatisfaction by many in the party at Jeremy Corbyn's approach to Brexit and anti-semitism. As recently as Monday, the Labour leader was still claiming that Labour had "half a million members". A senior Labour MP said the party's budget was based on an assumption that the number of paying members would not fall below 500,000. "When you think that high value donations don't exist and the Government's changes to the union political fund means union funding can only diminish, that’s a big problem. "It’s the biggest annual fall in our history - admittedly from a huge base - and it will only get worse." Glen O'Hara, Professor of Contemporary History at Oxford Brookes University, said: "The...