Liberal Democrats publish their general election manifesto

The Liberal Democrats are the first of the major parties vying for votes at this year’s general election to publish their manifesto. Reacting, Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said:

“The Liberal Democrats have traditionally been the greenest of the three main political parties and their manifesto will be a tough act for the Labour Party and Conservatives to follow. They have rightly put fairness at the heart of their green plans by promising free insulation and heat pumps for low-income households, cheaper electricity and water bills through a new social tariff to help those struggling most, and an Environmental Rights Act to protect us all, but particularly the most marginalised communities, from pollution.

"What's more, the party has pledged to meet the UK’s international obligation to cut carbon emissions by more than two-thirds by 2030, while also committing to a more ambitious national goal of delivering a zero carbon economy by 2045 - sooner than the existing 2050 target. And it has made ending the impunity with which polluting companies can operate one of its mainstays, by promising to make businesses responsible for environmental harms such as the sewage scandal, and devastating impacts caused overseas, to clean up their act.

“At first glance, the party’s manifesto appears to be an impressive document recognising the interconnection of the climate and nature crises with existing societal inequalities, and attempts to match both with solutions that speak to the level of ambition required. We look forward to studying its manifesto - and those of all the main parties - in more depth, which we’ll be scoring against our key demands for protecting climate and nature."

ENDS