Labour manifesto published

The Labour Party has today published its general election manifesto, following the other main parties who have outlined their policy packages this week. Reacting, Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said:

“From a government-in-waiting, we really needed to see firm plans on how the biggest long-term challenges of our lifetime will be confronted. Yet the Labour Party manifesto skates over so much of what’s needed to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

“Unless countries the world over start pulling together and raising their ambition, we will see ever more extreme weather battering the planet, as well as more lives and homes lost, whole industries and economies plunged into financial ruin, and food security derailed. That’s not just the preserve of those living in distant lands – it’s the future that awaits us here in the UK too if we fail to act.

“It’s deeply concerning the UK’s national and international targets are veering so dangerously off track. We need proper plans and significantly more funding to reduce emissions from housing, transport, industry and agriculture.

“Economic prudence may be Labour's guiding principle, but there’s nothing prudent about failing to invest in the measures that will safeguard our future, create clean, secure jobs in green industries, revive our ailing economy and prevent the enormous harms that await. It's well beyond time for parties to stop treating climate and nature as a side issue."

ENDS