Happy New Year, and I hope everyone had a restful Christmas break.  2024 will be another important year in the fight to tackle the climate emergency and it’s vital that global leaders work together and put into place plans to save our planet and our future.

Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to pay tribute to Norman Beddington who died recently.  Norman was a dear friend in the community who was instrumental in establishing Hornsey & Wood Green Labour’s climate action group. He will forever be remembered for his deep passion and commitment as a climate campaigner and belief that everyone can make a difference.  He will be very much missed.

Last year, we saw so many devastating climate catastrophes – unbearable heatwaves in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland, China, Latin America, the list goes on. Buenos Aires broke a 117-year heat record whereas Chile saw highs of 40 degrees. Albania set its all-time high temperature record of 44 degrees and Beijing reached 41 degrees; the highest June temperature recorded since 1961.

Since 2020, large parts of Eastern Africa have been facing extremely dry conditions and last year, sudden flash flooding killed more than 300 people. Wildfires in Canada were the most ferocious yet, burning more than 18 million hectares and darkening the skies in nearby US cities. Deadly wildfires also killed more than 90 people in Maui and forced hundreds of people, including Brits, to leave Rhodes in Greece.

In the UK, we experienced our hottest ever September and October. The new year began with extreme flooding – almost every river in England has reached an exceptionally high level and some record levels. The Environment Agency has estimated that more than 1,000 properties in England have been flooded and hundreds of businesses have closed. For over 13 years, the Government has ignored stark warnings over communities at risk of flooding and failed to prepare. The UK is not exempt from the climate emergency, and we will continue to experience increasingly volatile extreme weather.

2024 is set to be the warmest year ever. The reality is, the Tories don’t have a plan on the climate or solving the energy crisis. There are so many red alarm bells ringing and yet for Ministers, it’s business as normal. That’s why I believe it’s time for the Prime Minister to call for a General Election. It’s time for a change.

Here are some of the things I’ve been doing in Parliament since your last newsletter:

Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill
The Government’s Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is a damaging political gimmick. The Secretary of State has even admitted that it will do nothing to reduce energy bills and any tax revenue generated from the scheme will not be seen for decades. The Prime Minister has shamefully defended the Bill, claiming it will increase our energy security. But this is wrong – oil and gas extracted from the north sea is completely owned by private companies and sold to the international market. The Government has zero control over this process and ultimately, will still purchase its gas and oil from the international market.

My Labour colleagues and I voted against this Bill because we believe it is reckless, dangerous and will do nothing to help British consumers. What’s more, it sends the wrong message to the world. How on earth can we tell other nations, including poorer ones, to stop using gas and oil when we are increasing our reliance on it? Just a few weeks ago at Cop28, the UK government signed up to transition away from fossil fuels. But this Bill will increase our dependency on new gas and oil licences – the opposite of our international agreement. It’s clear the Prime Minister doesn’t care about the climate emergency – he is laughing at us.

My party, the Labour Party, is fully committed to tackling the climate crisis – we have promised to build energy security and independence, reduce sky-rocketing energy bills, and enact a national home insulation programme.

Cop28
The COP agreement is an important moment for the world: signalling for the first time a global commitment to transition away from fossil fuels.  Yet despite the progress made, the world remains way off track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees and PM Rishi Sunak’s limited presence at COP28, mixed messages, and decision to send his Minister home in the middle of climate negotiations fails to offer the climate leadership we so desperately need.  I’m proud that Labour Leader Keir Starmer MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP, and Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero Ed Miliband MP, all attended COP28, spent days meeting leaders, businesses, and delegates to put forward Labour’s bold vision to cut energy bills, grow our green economy, and step up on the world stage to protect our planet for current and future generations. You can read my thoughts on COP28 here.

Tottenham & Wood Green Friends of the Earth – petition for warmer homes,
It was a pleasure to meet Tottenham & Wood Green Friends of the Earth to receive their petition signed by over 1,650 local residents campaigning for action on warm homes.  The next Labour Government will insulate millions of homes, helping to slash energy bills and create thousands of high-quality green jobs.

Some of my recent Written Parliamentary Questions:

• To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Sri Lanka on water quality in the north of that country. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had discussions with Ofgem on increases to the energy standing charge. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of fitting schools with air cleaning technology. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from airlines on fuel tankering. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has provided recent guidance to local authorities on encouraging homeowners in conservation areas to (a) improve the energy-efficiency of their homes through retrofitting and (b) maintain the character of their properties. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to encourage private landlords to retrofit their properties to increase insulation. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to assist homeowners living in conservation areas to improve the energy-efficiency of their homes. Response here
• To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help support private sector tenants whose landlords object to their requests for home insulation. Response here