Tories are recklessly abandoning Britain's Countryside, Communities and Climate, says Lib Dem MP
Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire and Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson Pippa Heylings has responded to plans announced at Conservative Party Conference saying that their latest policies are unpatriotic and an attack on Nature and the very bodies that protect the Britain we love.
During their most recent the Conservatives announced that – even after the devastating wildfires this summer – if elected, they would scrap the Climate Change Act and the UK’s expert climate change Committee; they would get rid of environmental standards and regulations for new homes and would also scrap Natural England and the Environment Agency. These are the very bodies that protect our rivers, coastlines and historic landscapes, hold governments to account on climate preparedness, and make sure new homes are fit for the future. Axing them would get rid of most protections for our countryside whilst leaving our environment, homes, schools and hospitals exposed to ever increasing wildfires, floods, heatwaves and drought.
The Liberal Democrats have a strong record on climate change. When Ed Davey was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, he helped to quadruple the UK's renewable power and made the UK a world leader in offshore wind energy. The Lib Dems have a positive plan to tackle climate change, protect our environments, and boost the economy through green industries. The Conservatives’ plans are a stark contrast.
Pippa Heylings, MP for South Cambridgeshire and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero expressed her horror at the Tories’ plans, saying:
"The Conservatives love to wrap themselves in the flag, but there is nothing patriotic about stripping protection from our most iconic landscapes, the countryside we all love, and ignoring the risks posed by climate change. People expect government to help our country be better prepared not bury its head in the sand. These reckless proposals are also putting people's jobs at risk – whilst destroying the apprenticeships and new jobs that I saw with my own eyes as I toured the country this summer. Is chasing Reform and Trump-style politics really worth more to the Conservatives than our previous environment and the livelihoods of their own citizens?
“Britain was once a world leader on climate action, nature protection, and renewable energy. Yet in Government the Tories let water companies fill our rivers and seas with sewage and lost our competitive advantage in the renewables sector. Now they want to hurt Britain even more by siding with Nigel Farage and the fossil fuel bosses, and not the British public who back climate action and net zero two to one.
"Liberal Democrats have a plan to protect our communities from floods, heatwaves and a changing climate. The Conservatives have decided they want none. They are ripping up Britain's future and leaving our communities to face the storms alone, and I will keep fighting every step of the way to stop them."