2025: Week 3 - Another Private member’s bill week – Climate and Nature
I’m not sure I can remember another weekend when we had two named storms. I hope that the storms didn’t impact you too badly, but if you did get damage or flooding - you have my deepest sympathies. My thanks as always to the people responding to emergencies and keeping others safe.
It was timely that Friday saw the progress of the private members bill for Climate and Nature in Parliament. I do support the Bill which aims to reinforce the need for urgent action to prevent further climate damage. The science is very clear that increased CO2 from mankind’s use of fossil fuels has changed our climate, and the increased number and ferocity of storms are testament to that.
The Government was opposing the bill, and despite a significant number of Labour back benchers who wanted to back it, we didn’t have the required numbers to get the bill passed. A compromise was reached, and the Government made significant commitments towards the actions set out in the bill. The Green party members wanted to force a vote, but that would have upset the deal, and would have been lost. Parliament is often about negotiating a compromise, and not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
In the end, the bill was adjourned for another day – in reality it is unlikely to come back – and the Government made public commitments to do more to reduce further climate change.
This is one of the many ways that opposition parties can change government policy even when the numbers are stacked against us, and the outcome is positive for the environment and future generations.
Two other interesting snippets – the Assisted Dying bill is going into detailed discussion in committee, despite an attempt to stop it on a technicality to do with funding. A lot of noise was made by opponents of the bill, but I am pleased to see that the debate continues. Whether it passes in the end or not we have yet to see, but at least we will see all arguments aired and discussed.
I managed to secure a meeting with the housing minister to discuss making it easier for councils like Teignbridge to build council houses. Having overseen the recommencement of building new homes I saw at first hand the unnecessary obstacles that financial rules put in the way. With some simple changes to accounting practice, many more homes could be delivered at no extra cost. Hopefully we will see the changes in a forthcoming government bill.
Back in the constituency I was delighted to join my neighbouring MP Steve Darling at Torquay United on Saturday. A packed ground watched an entertaining, but disappointing game on the one sunny day of the week.
On a more sobering note, Monday was Holocaust Memorial Day, and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Hearing first hand reports from survivors who were at the camp as children is a real reminder that politics matters, and that failure of politics can have unimaginable consequences.