30 MARCH 2023 | NEWS
CRITICISM OF UK NET ZERO POLICY
Environmental experts have responded with severe criticism to a new plan unveiled by the UK Government, designed to help meet its Net Zero targets.
A central part of the plan involves storing carbon dioxide under the North Sea, but scientists have stated this will not bring the UK any closer to achieving its environment targets, which are enshrined in law.
The development follows a ruling by the High Court that current government plans were not sufficient to enable the country to meet its climate goals.
In a hint of further disruptive action on the part of climate activist groups, Mike Childs – Head of Policy at Friends of the Earth – said: “With these policies looking dangerously lacklustre and lacking on climate action, we are poised to act if Ministers have fallen short once again.”
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK should be “really proud of [its] track record” on decarbonistion, adding that the country had “decarbonised faster than any other major economy – our carbon emissions have been reduced by over 40%”.
The Government has stated that the measures involves in its plan – which runs to over 1,000 pages – are also designed to keep energy bills low for consumers.
Opposition parties have criticised the plan too, with Shadow Climate Secretary (and former Labour Party leader) Ed Miliband saying: “The Government’s ‘green day’ turns out to be a weak and feeble groundhog day of re-announcements, reheated policy, and no new investment.”
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas also commented: “The greenest thing about this is the recycling of already announced ideas.”
STARMER ‘PREPARED TO BE RUTHLESS’
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has told the press that he is “prepared to be ruthless” in order to win power for a Labour Government at the next General Election.
Speaking to Sky News, he was also scathingly critical of his predecessor as Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to Political Editor Beth Rigby.
“There is one person who is responsible for the fact that Jeremy Corbyn will not be a Labour candidate at the next election and that is Jeremy Corbyn,” he said. It follows a decision by the party’s ruling body, the National Executive Council, to support a motion put forward by Sir Keir that Mr Corbyn should not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate.
Referring to a previous policy pledge to reform the Labour Party when he took over its leadership, Sir Keir added: “There is always more work to do, but I set out to change the Labour Party and to change it in relation to anti-Semitism. I said I’d root it out and I am delivering on that pledge.”
And in a further statement, speaking from Swindon as he launched his party’s campaign for the upcoming local council elections today, Sir Keir branded Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “Mr 1%”, saying: “1% of asylum claims from those arriving on small boats actually processed. 1% of the fraud that was lost during COVID actually recovered. 0% of the windfall tax that could have helped working people actually collected.”
Ahead of the local council elections in May, and in an upbeat tone versus his view of the present Government’s record, the Labour leader also said: “I’m measuring this on the road to the next General Election, and I want to see the Labour Party making real progress.”
PM CRITICAL OF SCHOOLS’ STANCE ON GENDER IDENTITY
The Prime Minister has said he is “very concerned” that schools may not be keeping parents sufficiently informed when a child questions their own gender identity.
His statement follows a report from the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, which has published a paper stating that it does not believe safeguarding principles are being “routinely disregarded in many secondary schools” as regards gender identity issues.
The Prime Minister added: “For me, the safety and wellbeing of our children is of paramount importance. And I’ve also been clear that parents must be able to know what is being taught to their kids in school, especially on these sensitive areas.”
Indicating that the Government would now publish central guidance to address the issue, he continued: “What I’m also going to say today is that, for the summer term, we are going to make sure we publish guidance for schools so that they know how to respond when children are asking about their gender.”
The report concludes that there is “a safeguarding blind spot when it comes to the issue of sex and gender”, noting that some schools across the country no longer have single-sex changing rooms or toilets.
The General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Geoff Barton, said that government guidance was “clearly needed so that schools are able to draw on an established set of guidelines rather than constantly being caught in the crossfire between opposing views and beliefs”.
He also called for an “established set of guidelines”, lamenting that schools were being “caught in the crossfire between opposing views and beliefs”.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are clear that schools should make sure they work with parents, pupils and public services to decide what is best for individual children.
“Parents have a right to view teaching materials and copyright law does not prevent a parent from viewing external resources on school premises.”
